I'm specifically reviewing this spot for the COVID-19 Booster shot. Overall, I didn't know what to expect. I was quite anxious about it, but in the end it was okay though it's not the shortest process I've ever experienced when getting my COVID shot, just come in to expect a wait. Have some patience as they're doing the best they can especially with how MyTurn has set them up for failure.
L O C A T I O N
AFC Urgent Care is located in this little plaza on the corner of Stevenson and Ballentine. It's in the same plaza as Excellent Hair Salon & Com Tam Thanh. There's a small parking area. It wasn't hard to find parking immediately in front.
For COVID Shots & Testing, there's an area located to the left side of the building to line up.
P R O C E S S
We came in early as we had an appointment at 9:45am for the booster. According to MyTurn, the appointments start at 9am. If you see the times on their walk-in hours, it says they start at 9:30am. Well we arrived at 9am and there was just one lone soldier who was there waiting. I would say around 9:05 we saw them starting to get things ready: paperwork gathering onto clipboards, pens, etc. One person was handling a lot of the line management at the beginning & letting us know the situation which was nice. Behind him the staff was prepping everything else. We were told that the MyTurn site allowed at least 5 people to sign up per time slot which is NOT the amount they can handle. It's a bug in the system. Unfortunately they couldn't change it before everyone started to bombard to sign up for appointments. Give them a bit of grace people. I'm sure they'll try to fix it going forward but it's a bit too late to turn people away.
I would say around 9:15 we finally got our paperwork to start filling out & there's 4 pages. It's fairly easy to fill out, but takes a little time. We were asked to move back & have folks with appointments before 9:30 to go ahead of us. That's fine. We were in front of a few folks that had 9:30 times so this is where line management happens. You'll be clumped into 30 minute segments in the order you arrive. So yes we came early, we were in the front of the "9:30" clump of people. Around 9:48, our paperwork was taken with our ID, medical card, existing COVID vaccination card, and asked which vaccine we'd like. They have all three so take your pick.
Initially there was only 1 person distributing the vaccination. I would say around 10 they increased it by 1 & the line started to move. I finally got the shot at 10:15. After you wait 15 minutes anywhere you'd like, you can grab your COVID vaccination card back at the door where all the staff enter & exit. They tell you to call a number (341) 333-9171, if you experience any emergency symptoms after you leave the premises after your 15 minute wait.
In terms of how the vaccine was administered, I appreciate the attention to detail. Making sure they have the right person, which shot you're about to get & the information written down. They go back into the room & grab the right vaccine before heading back to you.
All in all, it took us 1.5 hours from line up to leaving. Now I think if we arrived at 9:30, we may have been able to do everything in 1 hour as the additional person distributing the vaccine helped move the line along. The line itself felt like it was the same length when we left as when they started vaccinating folks.
T I P S
1. Do not come super early like we did. I would say, come at least 10-15 minutes prior as they do organize the line by appointment time 30 min clumps, unless they change this tomorrow.
2. Wear warm clothing. It's outside so if it's a cold day like today, you'd want to make sure you bundle up.
3. Expect at least an hour from start to finish unless you're there earlier than your appointment.
4. Be kind to these folks. They work hard to help us be vaccinated. Considering the technical aspects screwed them over, they're trying their best to handle the situation.
I M P R O V E M E N T S
As I'm sure the days are going to be similar, they should start getting everything ready at 8:30am. It was a little unnerving to arrive at 9 & no one was there to at least welcome us or if we were in the right spot.
Perhaps find a way to provide people the paperwork beforehand but I know this maybe hard to do. There's plenty of time to fill out the paperwork as you wait in line.
Find a way to provide MyTurn the right information about starting times as well as no more walk-ins. We were about to drive by yesterday to see how things were. Good thing we called because they told us they weren't accepting walk-ins.
Have a big poster board with:
1. No Walk-Ins
2. Line Up According to Appointment Time
3. Fill Out Paperwork
4. Prepare your ID, medical card (if applicable), and COVID card (for booster)
In the end, it was fine. Folks today were nice to staff as they explained the situation. So hope AFC will do better in the days going forward. Good luck and hope this helps. read more