As more people continue to become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a unique public-private partnership will host the first of several mass vaccination events in the community beginning today, Jan. 22, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Over the course of the three-day weekend period, Atrium Health will be administering over 16,000 vaccinations to people who are at least 65 years of age at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as the first of two announced mass vaccination sites at professional sports venues. Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Football Club, is planning to host a similar mass vaccination event in the near future.
On Jan. 14, Honeywell, Atrium Health, Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Charlotte Motor Speedway announced a unique public-private initiative with a bold plan of distributing 1 million doses of the vaccine by July 4, 2021. With support from the State of North Carolina and Gov. Roy Cooper, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and local governments, these organizations will work together to administer vaccinations, provide logistics and operations support, and offer venues for an efficient and safe initiative.
“The ability to launch the state's largest vaccination event so rapidly is a testament to the power of partnership,” said Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health. “Our goal, simply stated, is to get as many shots in arms as quickly as we can, to save the lives of North Carolinians. And we thank Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen for their support of our partnership with Honeywell, Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Charlotte Motor Speedway as we take a critical step forward in defeating this virus and returning life to some semblance of normal.”
The mass vaccination clinics will run from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22, through Sunday, Jan. 24. Appointments are required to receive a vaccination, and vaccinations will not be available without confirmation of a spot. This is to help manage the supply of the vaccine, given its ultra-cold storage requirements and limited shelf life after thawing. The current appointment slots are already full for this event, showing the desire by surrounding community members to receive the vaccine. After receiving their vaccination, each patient will proceed to a monitoring area where medical staff will closely monitor for any potential reaction.
“The Speedway will literally become victory lane for thousands of North Carolinians this weekend,” said Marcus Smith, president and chief executive officer, Speedway Motorsports. “This vaccination clinic is a crucial pit stop in the race to beat the pandemic. We’re modeling our efforts off the success we had last year partnering with Atrium Health to create a drive-up testing site. People will actually drive on the racetrack and pit road before entering one of 12 vaccination lanes in the garage area. The entire process will take place without people leaving their cars.”
“Honeywell has rapidly convened experts from our organization to work with our partners to implement enhanced logistics, ensuring a smooth and quick start to the effort to vaccinate thousands of people,” said Darius Adamczyk, chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell. “Our work is only beginning. We and our partners won’t stop until we distribute 1 million doses by July 4. We believe the model we are developing in North Carolina, in close partnership with Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen and their teams, will also be helpful to other states as they look to accelerate their vaccine distribution efforts.”
Hundreds of Atrium Health teammates – including physicians and Advanced Practice Providers, along with additional volunteers from Honeywell and the Cabarrus Health Alliance – will spend their personal time this weekend to help vaccinate community members in a collective effort to get the population to a “herd immunity” status.
Appointments for all Atrium Health vaccination locations and events can be scheduled on its MyAtriumHealth platform on the health system’s website or via its app. Those who don’t have a MyAtriumHealth account can create one or schedule a vaccination appointment by phone, if assistance is needed. There are no out-of-pocket costs for patients to receive the vaccine. Those receiving their initial dose of vaccine this weekend will be asked to schedule their second dose three weeks from now. Those will also be administered at the speedway.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way for people to protect themselves, their families and their community. As larger portions of the population are vaccinated, the whole community becomes better protected. More information about Atrium Health’s vaccination plans for the public, including frequently asked questions and scheduling vaccine, can be found at AtriumHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine.
Quick Facts:
- Charlotte Motor Speedway becomes the first, major professional sports venue in North Carolina to open its gates for a mass vaccination event benefitting the public.
- On Jan. 14, Honeywell, Atrium Health, Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Charlotte Motor Speedway announced a unique public-private partnership with a bold plan of distributing 1 million doses of the vaccine by July 4, 2021.
- Over the course of the three-day weekend period, Atrium Health will be administering over 16,000 vaccinations to people who are at least 65 years of age.
- To support the mass vaccinations, Honeywell has integrated some of its most popular productivity and supply chain automation solutions, usually seen in warehouse and distribution center operations used by large ecommerce and retail companies, including solutions that help with data entry, traffic management, and handheld scanners and printers to assist with logistics.
- More information about Atrium Health’s vaccination plans for the public, including FAQs, can be found at org/COVID19Vaccine.
