LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - More and more people continue to sign up to get their COVID-19 vaccine at the IU Health Arnett Vaccine Clinic. As we previously reported, the state opened up the vaccine availability to 70 and 80-year-olds over the past few weeks.
"It feels really good," said IU Health Arnett's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. James Bien. He received his second dose of the vaccine on Monday. "My experience today confirmed what I am hearing in the community about people who have had their vaccine here. The process here is working really well."
Leaders at IU Health say there is some confusion from people on how to sign up and what to do when you show up for your appointment. He said a lot of the clinic's operations are at the mercy of the state. And with only so much of the vaccine to go around, Arnett has to limit its vaccination scheduling accordingly.
"It's a complex process at a state level to schedule and to coordinate all the sites and the two different types of vaccines now so it does take a little bit to get on the first schedule," he said. "I think it will work out as this continues."
Step one for getting your vaccine at IU Health Arnett's clinic is you have to sign up through the Indiana State Department of Health. If you meet the criteria of eligibility for the vaccine, call 211 or go online to www.OurShot.in.gov to schedule an appointment. You can sign up to get it at Arnett or at the Tippecanoe County Health Department's vaccine clinic.
Arnett's clinic is located on the east side of the hospital. Some people have gotten confused and gone to the main entrance of the hospital. When you turn right into the main entrance from McCarty Lane, you'll want to turn left right away. You'll see a sign that says "Pre-scheduled vaccinations" with an arrow pointing in the direction you need to go.
You'll follow the road around the employee parking lot, and then you'll see a sign that says "vaccination parking" with a number 6 on your right. You'll also see a security guard there waiting to direct you into the parking lot.
They will ask you if you have a phone with you so you can check in. If you don't, they will help you make that call. Once you are parked, you'll need to call the clinic to check in. That number is 765-838-6340. It is also posted on multiple signs and banners around the parking lot.
You can request a golf cart to come and drive you from your car to the clinic entrance if you have trouble walking. Just be ready to tell the person on the phone you are checking in with the color and the brand of your car. Otherwise, the path to the entrance is marked with yellow arrows for you to walk.
Because of how they schedule appointments, you shouldn't have a long wait time once you arrive. Once Dr. Bien was checked in inside the clinic, he was immediately taken to a booth to get his shot. A few minutes later, he was in the 15-minute holding area checking in on how his body was reacting to the vaccine.
He said is happy to see so many of our local senior citizens getting their vaccines.
"The people struggling the most and having the most difficulty from with this disease are our senior citizens," he said. "And so now that we have enough vaccine and process in place, it's awesome that we are welcoming them to come and get fortified with the vaccine."
Many local assisted living facilities are bringing the vaccine in to get their residents the shot. He encourages people to talk with the director of your loved one's living center to learn more and get them signed up.
The IU Health Arnett Vaccine Clinic is fully booked through February 14th. They have given 9,000 vaccines have been given at the clinic since it opened on December 18th.
