Battling the 'Canes and COVID: Pop-up vaccination clinic coming Thursday to Bridgestone Arena

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At the corner of Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way (formerly 5th Avenue), honky-tonks meet hockey. That corner is probably the last place where you would think about health but it will be front and center Thursday.

"We will be under a big blue health department tent," said Rachel Franklin, Bureau Director for Metro Public Health.

Franklin says when it comes to finding lots of people, there's no better spot in town. "What better opportunity than hopefully the thousands of people that will be downtown tomorrow afternoon and evening?" she said.

That's is why, from 3 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the Nashville Predators won't just battle the 'Canes, they'll also be fighting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

"Give us 20 minutes -- 5 minutes for the paperwork and the shot and then a 15 minute waiting period to make sure everything’s good," said Franklin.

Recipients will have the choice between the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Predators event marks more than 200 pop-up vaccination events that have taken place in Nashville over the last few months. Some have been smashing successes, others have been more of a swing and a miss.

For instance, the pop-up vaccination event at the Full Moon Pickin' Party out at Percy Warner Park certainly didn't give health officials anything to howl at. "And we did 3," Franklin said with a nervous laugh.

That's right, only three immunizations for the whole night. "People are just showing up to have a good time and not really be bothered. We probably won’t do another Full Moon Picking Party, but we’ll certainly go to the Zoo again in another 8-10 weeks," she said.

The event at the Nashville Zoo vaccinated more than 200 people, including 50 teenagers getting vaccinated with parental approval. "So for us, we’re thrilled with that," said Franklin.

If you ask Metro Public Health, that proves the pop-up events work. In fact, starting in the month of June, they plan to do a lot more pop-up events. "It’s people that just walk up and say -- hey I’ll get one and otherwise may not have got it," she said.

Just like anything else in Music City, it's all about striking the right chord.