The Vaccinate Lancaster Coalition, led by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and Lancaster County Government, is preparing to open a public COVID-19 vaccination center at the site of the former Bon-Ton department store at Park City Center. Plans were approved by the Lancaster County Commissioners on February 17, 2021 and the first vaccinations are anticipated to begin in mid-March.
The coalition includes community partners and all four major health systems serving Lancaster County — LG Health, Penn State Health, UPMC and WellSpan Health. LG Health hired Rock Lititz, experts at staging large-scale, live events, to transform the space and handle logistics at the site.
The community vaccination center will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with vaccinations occurring between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., assuming there is adequate supply of vaccines. The first week of operation will serve as a pilot program, with a limited number of shots to be administered. The daily number of vaccines will increase, depending on the number of vaccines received by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).
LG Health and the coalition are prepared to vaccinate as many as 6,000 people per day through June 30; however, this figure is dependent on vaccine supply. Vaccine allocations are determined and shipped by the state DOH. Coalition leaders estimate 432,000 Lancaster County residents ages 16 and older are eligible for the vaccine.
To meet staffing needs at the center, LG Health retained TriStarr Staffing in Lancaster. TriStarr received nearly 2,600 applications for a variety of positions, which start at $15 per hour. More than 200 workers have been hired, or offered positions, as of February 25.
Registration and scheduling for the community vaccination center is not expected to be available until closer to the opening date. As plans move forward, updates will be provided at VaccinateLancaster.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
John Lines
john.lines@pennmedicine.upenn.edu