Parker HS Coronavirus Vaccination Site Set To Open Thursday

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB will open its third coronavirus vaccination site in Jefferson County Thursday, this time on the Parker High School campus. Initial hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.

UAB plans to expand hours as additional vaccine supply is received from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The Parker High School site is a collaborative effort by the university and UAB Medicine, the City of Birmingham, Birmingham City Schools and Jefferson County. Parker High School employees received vaccinations this morning as a test run in preparation for tomorrow's public opening.

"Shots in arms — distributing this vaccine — that's the way out of this COVID-19 pandemic, and we are excited to be in the heart of a downtown Birmingham neighborhood to help administer the vaccine," said Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president of Clinical Support Services at UAB. "We have been working as quickly as we can with our community partners in Birmingham and Hoover to stand these three community sites up, and we are eager to get these vaccines going tomorrow at Parker."

Like the downtown Highlands and Hoover sites, appointments for Parker High School can be requested online at uabmedicinevaccine.org by those individuals who are in the eligible groups as determined by the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Once a registration form is submitted, no further communication will come from UAB until there is an appointment time available; that communication will come from UAB's scheduling software program, called Phreesia, to confirm appointment locations and times.

"I am thankful for UAB and the partnership which has created this vaccination site in a Birmingham neighborhood," said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. "We are committed to working together in reaching out to our residents to ensure everyone is aware of the opportunities available. I urge those who meet the current Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines to register today. If you have a loved one or friend who is unable to register, please help them."

For the Parker site, UAB is working with community leaders to identify people who may not have access to resources like personal transportation, smartphones, computers and internet that make it easier for some to get vaccinated.

Following the state health guidelines for vaccination, UAB has been providing vaccines downtown at its Highlands location since Jan. 18 and at the Hoover Met since Feb. 2. To date, UAB has administered more than 47,000 total vaccines, including almost 32,000 first vaccine doses, to health care workers, EMS, first responders, UAB patients and community members.