A new drive-thru mass vaccination clinic will open April 7 in the parking lot at Gary Roosevelt High School, state and federal officials announced Monday.
The eight-week, seven-day-week clinic will have the capacity to administer 2,000 COVID-19 vaccines per day, according to an announcement from the White House and Gov. Eric J. Holcomb.
Officials said the location, at 730 W. 25th Ave., was recommended by Indiana and selected by FEMA based on its proximity to a large number of Indiana’s high-risk citizens and medically underserved populations.
Roosevelt, which closed last year, is the heart of the city’s midtown neighborhood and sits across from a public housing center, Delaney Community. Gary neighborhoods have some of the highest poverty rates and lowest vaccination totals in the state, according to state data.
Holcomb said an additional 1,000 doses per day will be allocated to mobile units to host clinics in underserved communities throughout northern Indiana.
“The Gary Community School Corp. is honored to be a partner in an initiative that we know will save lives,” said GCSC Manager Paige McNulty. “Roosevelt is centrally located in the city and has the capacity to accommodate a large amount of drive-up traffic. It is indeed a great use of the space.”
The news was greeted warmly by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and Mayor Jerome Prince.
“This will be a game-changer as we continue to fight this historic pandemic,” said Prince who thanked the Gary Community School Corp., federal and state officials for making it happen.
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, said the Roosevelt clinic will be vital in fighting the COVID-19 spread “and coming out on the other side of this pandemic.”
The Indiana Department of Health, Indiana National Guard, and the Department of Defense will manage the Gary vaccination site with support from FEMA, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the city of Gary, and the Lake County Emergency Management Agency.
The news of the Gary clinic comes as Holcomb eases COVID-19 restrictions statewide, even as the state’s positivity rate and hospitalizations are increasing.
Lake County remained in the “blue” or lowest zone Monday with a 4.4% positivity rate, while Porter County was listed as “yellow” with a 5.54% increasing positivity rate. The age group with the most cases — at 17.4% — for both counties combined is 20-29. The lowest is 80-and-over at 4%, according to the Indiana State Board of Health’s Monday data.
Holcomb said last week he was lifting the statewide mask mandate April 6, although local cities can keep precautions in place longer. Prince said last week he plans to keep the mask mandate in place. Other mayors haven’t announced plans yet.
President Joe Biden on Monday asked governors who have announced the end of mask mandates to reinstate them as new cases increase around the nation.
The state’s vaccination program continues to be a robust one, with eligibility shifting to people age 30-and-up Monday.
All Hoosiers 16-and-older can sign up beginning Wednesday, meaning all adults will soon be eligible for vaccinations.
“We are grateful that our federal partners selected Gary in this next phase of the rollout process, and I want to encourage every Hoosier to sign up for a vaccine so that they can protect themselves and those they love,” Holcomb said in a statement.
The Gary doses are in addition to Indiana’s regular statewide vaccine allotment, which is distributed to more than 500 vaccine clinics around the state.
While the Roosevelt clinic will be a drive-thru operation, it will be accessible to those who come by bus or other modes of transportation.
The Roosevelt clinic hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. It will offer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine during the first three weeks of operation.
People vaccinated during that time frame will be guaranteed a second dose during the fourth, fifth, and sixth weeks of the clinic.
The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered the final two weeks of the operation.
Operational hours and locations for the mobile units are still being finalized.
Any Hoosier who is eligible can be vaccinated at the clinic, but focus will be placed on ensuring that high-risk and underserved citizens in Northwest Indiana have easy access to appointments.
For eligibility requirements, visit https://ourshot.in.gov. Registration for the mass vaccination and mobile sites is expected to open later this week, and notification will be provided.
To help those who may have difficulty getting transportation to the Gary location, IU Health is offering free rides to any vaccination site in the state through a partnership with Lyft. Additional transportation options will be provided. Language interpretation and assistance for those with hearing or vision impairments also will be available on site.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
