Dorney Park turns parking lot into large scale COVID-19 vaccination site

We pivoted our 2021 [season] planning gears to assist LVHN with its first COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Site.

A drive-thru vaccination clinic isn’t new to our site. For the past 24 years the Dorney Park parking lot has served as the Lehigh Valley’s location for LVHN’s Drive-thru Flu Vaccine Clinic. This year, the standard drive-thru flu clinic came and went – and then we were asked to assist our local region in a greater initiative.  

There was a lot of quick thought and implementation that went into our mass vaccination site – with only 2 weeks to prepare.

It wasn’t the typical drive-thru flu vaccine – this is the COVID-19 vaccine which required additional components. Unlike a typical flu vaccine (patients drive up, get the shot and go on their way), LVHN needed to implement a 15 - 30-minute holding area in order to observe and monitor patients for any post-vaccine symptoms, and easy exit routes for those who didn’t have an appointment.

While there were nurses and doctors present, operationally the vaccine clinic was/is on a 100% volunteer basis, which is where you can insert the Dorney Park full-time staff.

Bundled and masked up, our Dorney Park full-time staff was able to assist operationally. Our staff helped by directing traffic into the retention area queues and also directed vehicles in and out of the parking lot to help ensure a smooth operation for LVHN.

We’re a proud partner of LVHN and are happy we can assist our region, and get through this pandemic together.

Here's an up-close look at the first LVHN mass vaccination clinic at Dorney Park:

Photo above provided by Matt Smith Photography