(Feb. 17, 2021) Story update: The TCU community vaccine site will now open Feb. 27. Dates in this news story have been updated.
Texas Christian University, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth and Tarrant County Public Health are collaborating to launch a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site. Appointments are required and those receiving the vaccine will not need to leave their car.
TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium parking lots will serve as the location for site. Staffing of the site will be a collaboration of Baylor Scott & White Health and TCU. Baylor Scott & White Health employees will administer vaccine initially, with plans for support from faculty and students of TCU’s Department of Nursing, and the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, underway.
“It's important that the TCU community be part of the solution to this damaging pandemic. We are proud to partner with other community leaders to extend our work in support of the greater good," said TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “This partnership with Baylor Scott & White Health and Tarrant County Public Health allows us to serve our Fort Worth and Tarrant County neighbors.”
Officials plan for the TCU site to be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning Saturday, Feb. 27; you must have an appointment to be vaccinated. Officials expect to serve up to 2,500 residents a day at full capacity.
“The new drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination location will provide a safe and fast way for people to receive their immunization,” said Vinny Taneja, Tarrant County Public Health director. “Tarrant County Public Health and its partners have provided more than 135,000 vaccinations. Adding, Baylor Scott & White and TCU is a win for us all.”
Baylor Scott & White Health will notify patients 48 hours prior to their appointment time. All patients must have an appointment; walk-ups or drive-ups without an appointment will be turned away.
“This collaboration will allow more in our community to be vaccinated safely and quickly,” said Mike Sanborn, president of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth. “We are excited to be involved in this effort, and we remain committed to educating our community – addressing questions and concerns so we may all become community advocates of the COVID-19 vaccination effort and help put an end to this pandemic.”
The site will serve those who are registered for the COVID-19 vaccine through Tarrant County Public Health and/or those who are registered through Baylor Scott & White Health. In accordance with state and federal guidance, distribution priority includes those at the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 – those who fall into Phase 1A and 1B [link removed].
Tarrant County has advised all residents to register for the vaccine to make distribution go more smoothly once the various priority groups are reached. In addition to registering for the vaccine through Tarrant County Public Health [link removed], all residents are invited to register through Baylor Scott & White Health’s MyBSWHealth [link removed] website or app, regardless of whether or not they are a current patient.
“Amazing partners come together in challenging times to achieve great things. It’s so wonderful to see the Fort Worth community collaborate to meet some of our greatest needs,” said Stuart D. Flynn, MD, founding dean of the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine. “Our students are learning from, and will be participating in, one of the best examples of how a community rallies to help its own, a powerful example of servant leadership."
Nursing faculty and students from TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences will also play an important role.
“TCU nursing students and faculty are skilled at administering vaccines. We’ve been waiting for this moment to be called on to help get COVID-19 vaccines in arms and look forward to serving our community,” said Suzy Lockwood, Ph.D., MSN, RN, OCN, FAAN, associate dean for nursing and nurse anesthesia and professor of nursing for the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
TCU Neighbors
Planning efforts by TCU include those from the TCU Department of Public Safety to manage traffic flow and outreach to area neighbors, supported by the city of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department.
"Vaccinations allow us to play offense - instead of defense - in the fight against COVID-19. Our talented staff and clinical professionals have worked diligently to make this a smooth process so we can help protect the wider community," Chancellor Boschini said.
TCU Students and Employees
TCU students and employees are encouraged to register for the vaccine through Tarrant County Public Health [link removed] and/or MyBSWHealth [link removed], in addition to TCU [link removed].
TCU has requested vaccine for all TCU employees and students but has no timeline for delivery. Visit TCU’s vaccine communication page [link removed] and FAQ [link removed] for the most up-to-date information.
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. An integrated care delivery network, the system includes the Scott and White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,100 access points including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care, throughout Texas, and via virtual touch points. If its service area were a state, it would be the eighth largest, providing care to a population larger than that of the state of Georgia. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Scott & White is proud to honor its century-long legacy through its commitment to improving accessibility, affordability and the customer experience for all. For more information, visit BSWHealth.com
About the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine
The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, Fort Worth’s M.D. school, opened with a class of 60 students in July 2019. TCU and UNTHSC joined together in July 2015 to form this new allopathic medical school. The School of Medicine’s focus on communication, a first-of-its-kind curriculum and the development of Empathetic Scholars™ uniquely positions the organization to radically transform medical education, improving care for future generations. To make this new school possible, the greater North Texas community stepped up to help, providing philanthropic support. The school’s current Founding Donors include Alcon, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Baylor Scott & White, The Burnett Foundation, Cook Children’s,Texas Health Resources, Mr. H. Paul Dorman, Mr. Arnold and Mrs. Harriette Gachman, Dr. John and Mrs. Priscilla Geesbreght, Anonymous, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, Rebecca and Jon Brumley, The Morris Foundation, Martha Sue Parr Trust, Tartaglino Richards Family Foundation, and Thomas M., Helen McKee, John P. Ryan Foundation and an anonymous donor.