Page 38 - Nov Proof

38 CastlePinesConnection.com
Mass vaccination
clinic in former
Castle Pines
Safeway location
Article and photo by Mindy Stone
Castle Pines residents do not have to go far to get a vaccine. A mass vaccination clinic is conveniently located in the former Castle Pines Safeway building at 560 Castle Pines Parkway. The clinic offers COVID-19 vaccines, COVID booster shots, and the flu vaccine.
“It’s kind of a one stop shopping right now,” said Nikki Price, director of pharmacy operations for Albertsons/ Safeway Pharmacies.
Safeway used the large vacant building to its advantage last spring and opened the vaccine clinic when the general public
in Colorado became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We opened it in early April to help increase availability to not only Castle Pines residents, but Castle Rock and the surrounding area,” recalled Price, “For the people who felt like they really wanted
to socially distance, in a larger space like that,you can really do that,” she said.
Price said the clinic remained open for about three months during Colorado’s push to vaccinate as many people as possible. Then, Safeway reopened the clinic on September 24 when the CDC approved
the distribution of Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot to older Americans and other vulnerable people.
“We are always staffed well enough that if we had a huge surge of people, we would be okay and plenty of vaccines too,” said Price, “Manufacturers did a good job at partnering with each other to get supply out into the market so that it was more accessible.”
Safeway pharmacies expect to see an influx of people in the next few weeks as additional doses are approved.
“We think we’ll see an increase there,” Price commented, “A couple weeks later, we do expect a small surge with the 5- to 11-year-old age group.”
The Castle Pines clinic is expected to stay open at least through Thanksgiving, if not longer.
“We’re looking at it week by week, as well as looking at it as additional doses are getting approved,” concluded Price.
Walk-ins are welcome from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Appointments can be made at http://mhealthsystem.com/ castlepinesvaccinecenter.
A mass vaccination clinic has been set-up inside the old Safeway building on Castle Pines Parkway. The clinic offers COVID vaccine first and second doses, COVID boosters, and the flu vaccine.
November 2021