When the Utah County Health Department announced that new COVID-19 vaccination sites would be opening in Provo and American Fork, adding to vaccination efforts in the county, the opening dates were set for early March.

The department hit that mark, opening a new vaccination site in American Fork on Monday with help of the Alpine School District and the Woodbury Corporation.

“We are extremely grateful for this partnership and for the very generous offer by Alpine School District for the Health Department to temporarily use the space as a vaccination site,” said Eric Edwards, Utah County Health Department executive director. “Partnerships such as these are key for us in providing the vaccine to the public as quickly and safely as possible.”

Utah County Health Department PIO Aislynn Tolman-Hill told the Herald in a previous interview that the new site — a former Walmart location — is expected to hold a similar capacity as the existing site in Spanish Fork, boosting vaccination efforts on the heels of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine authorization and also servicing the northern part of Utah County.

When Nomi opened vaccination sites in Vineyard and Lehi, Tolman-Hill said the department is looking to serve the county the best it can geographically.

For the Alpine School District, this partnership is a matter of providing what is needed to help the community now, according to district Administrator of Public Relations David Stephenson.

“We’re always looking for ways to partner with the community and this was a great way for us to provide space for a vaccination clinic,” Stephenson said. “We’ve been working closely with the Utah County Health Department for almost a year now and we knew that they were looking for space in northern Utah County and they had a site or two that the county was looking at and for one reason or another they weren’t the best sites. We then realized we had space available in this building in American Fork, next we were talking about it and now it’s officially a vaccination site.”

Stephenson added that the site will service the community, one that the Alpine School District is deeply involved in.

The site also provides a sense of cooperation in providing a space that is currently going unused, to help the community. Some of the building at 704 S. Utah Valley Drive in American Fork is being used for the Polaris West High School, but the empty space will help house the vaccination clinic.

Stephenson said he considers the schools to be a critical part of the community, at times acting as a civic center for the community at large. While many people gather at the schools, now the community will be able to gather to receive its COVID-19 vaccine.

The former Walmart location is currently being leased by the district from the Woodbury Corporation, which is also partnering in the effort to bring more vaccines to Utah County.

“Any reasonable thing we can do to help get Utahns vaccinated and on the path to a more normal lifestyle is a worthy cause,” said Woodbury President O. Randall Woodbury.

One of the big benefits of the new site is its proximity to I-15, allowing people from both northern Utah County and elsewhere to access the site easily. The site is located just off of 500 East with ample parking, another aspect that was critical for the county.

According to Stephenson, the county saw the possibilities with the ease of access and parking and jumped on the opportunity to use the site.

Tolman-Hill also told the Daily Herald in an earlier interview that the district came to the health department wanting to donate the facility for use.

As mentioned, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been approved and vaccination distribution is continually expanding. In a press conference last week, Gov. Spencer Cox announced that all Utahns 50 and older or those with certain pre-existing conditions would be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.