Arizona State University announced today that it will host and coordinate a new indoor public COVID-19 vaccination site on its Tempe campus at Desert Financial Arena, opening Monday, April 12.
The new point of distribution is a transfer of the state’s previous site, operated by ASU, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, also an ASU property. People who have already been scheduled for second-dose appointments at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for Monday, April 12, and later are being informed of the new location for their second doses.
Warmer temperatures and the beginning of summer weather prompted the change, both for benefit and safety of health professionals and volunteers and for members of the public.
“The public distribution sites are the work of a tremendous community partnership, a mix of some very talented professionals and a very dedicated cadre of volunteers,” said David Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Arizona State University Research Enterprise, and the lead member of ASU’s vaccination site team. “Moving indoors will enable us to keep getting vaccines in arms at the fastest rate possible; the Arizona heat was already starting to work against us.”
The Desert Financial Arena vaccination point of distribution will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vaccinations will be provided in the arena on the main concourse of Desert Financial Arena, and arena seating will be available for the required 15 or 30 minutes of observation after vaccination. Appointments will continue to be required and can be accessed through the ADHS website azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
In addition to being indoors, the ASU site is also located along the Valley’s Metro Light Rail line, giving those who rely on public transportation a convenient way to travel. Located at 600 E. Veterans Way, Desert Financial Arena is adjacent to the Veterans Way/College Avenue station, Stop #10022.
For those who plan to drive to the site, plenty of free parking will be available north of the arena; the public entrance to the vaccination POD also will be located on the north side of the arena. Due to construction around the university and near the site, the university strongly recommends that drivers use Rio Salado Parkway and arrive from the north.
“Arizona State University is now operating and managing four of the state’s seven public points of distribution for the COVID-19 vaccine and we are very happy that university property can be of service to the public for this important community activity,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “It is important for as many people as possible to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible and we have many people around the university working to help make it happen.”
ADHS and ASU organizers say the first priority at the Desert Financial Arena site is to ensure that all scheduled second dose appointments are successfully relocated while maintaining focus on continuing to maximize the number of first doses available to the public. The goal is to meet or exceed the capacity of the Phoenix Municipal site, which vaccinated approximately 3,500 people a day.
Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
