Saint Alphonsus to move COVID appointments to mass vaccination clinic in Meridian
Saint Alphonsus Health System will move previously scheduled appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine in Boise and Nampa to a mass vaccination clinic in Meridian starting Thursday.
The 50,000-square-foot site in the former Gordmans department store at The Village in Meridian is more centrally located and will help streamline vaccination services, said Jennifer Misajet, regional chief nursing officer for Saint Alphonsus Health System, in a news release Monday.
“By consolidating all these clinics to one central and easily accessible location with convenient parking, we will be able to streamline the vaccination process and reduce the disruption and inconvenience to patients and staff at our hospitals and family medicine clinic locations,” Misajet said.
Mark Snider, spokesman for Saint Alphonsus, said by phone that clinics in Boise and Nampa have been challenged by a lack of parking and space for mass vaccinations, especially given social-distancing recommendations. He said the larger site in Meridian allows for 14 available rooms for vaccinations at once, as opposed to eight or nine in Boise and Nampa combined.
The Village could host roughly 900 to 1,000 people a day if Saint Alphonsus had the vaccine supply, Snider said. He said he didn’t know how many daily vaccines its current supply allows for.
“This facility would be up and running for as long as there’s a need,” Snider said.
Saint Alphonsus said its hospitals and clinics have administered more than 25,000 doses so far. Patients who have appointments scheduled for Boise or Nampa hospitals are being notified of the change, the statement said.
“They’re all very accommodating and understanding, and just glad that their appointments are still on the books,” Snider said.
He said he didn’t know the number of appointments affected by the relocation.
Misajet said CenterCal Properties, owner of The Village, has made the space available. Norco is also donating wheelchairs for patients who need them.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 1:12 PM.
