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The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has partnered with the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Fire Department to open a free, public vaccination site at Union Station six days a week, making it the fifth site opened on the Metro public transit system.
The Union Station vaccination site launched June 8 and will operate Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Union Station East portal. Union Station is the region’s busiest and most important transit center, with more than 100,000 people using the station during an average weekday prior to the pandemic. In addition to Metro Bus and Rail, Union station provides critical access to Metrolink, Amtrak, regional and municipal transit partners and private transportation options as well.
“Opening this site at Union Station moves us closer to a core goal of our vaccination campaign: making vaccines more accessible to people across Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti. “With this new clinic at the epicenter of our transit network, we are adding another life-saving stop on our journey toward ending this pandemic — and ensuring our road to recovery leaves no Angeleno behind.”
“Union Station has played a critical role in offering free COVID-19 testing during the pandemic, so it’s fitting that it will now offer vaccinations for the thousands of Angelenos visit and travel through here for essential work and other tasks every day,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León. “Not everyone has been able to realize the gains we have made in recovering from COVID-19 which is why it is so important that we make it as easy as possible for everyone to get vaccinated – particularly those in underserved and marginalized communities.”
The Union Station vaccination site will have all three vaccines available. Moderna and the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available to everyone 18 years and older. The Pfizer vaccine will be available to everyone 12 years and older (children require a parent or guardian present). The vaccines are free, and no insurance or citizenship documentation is required.
The vaccination site is located at the top of the escalator at the Union Station East portal, which faces the Patsaouras Bus Plaza. The site will be operated by the Los Angeles Fire Department in partnership with Carbon Health and Community Organized Relief Effort, known as CORE. Vaccines are free and appointments can be made by visiting https://carbonhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines/los-angeles. However, the site will also accept walk-ups.
“Partnership with transit providers has been essential in widening the opportunity for people to receive vaccinations in our region,” Metrolink Board Chair Ara Najarian said. “We saw that at the Cal State LA Vaccination Center, at the Palmdale and Lancaster Metrolink stations and now at stations along our San Bernardino Line. This new vaccination site at Union Station will make this life-saving vaccine available to underserved people living and working near our region’s transportation hub.”
The LAFD will continue to provide free on-site COVID-19 testing at Union Station, with or without an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.unionstationla.com/happenings/free-covid-19-testing.
“Promoting health equity is central to my strategic operational vision for LA Metro,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “From COVID-19 testing to free face masks on buses and trains, to opening up vaccination sites at key Metro transit centers, we will continue to offer services and resources for those who need it most in Los Angeles County to ensure an equitable recovery.”
Union Station joins four other vaccination sites on the Metro transit system – the C Line’s (Green) Crenshaw/105 Station in Hawthorne, the Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena, the A Line’s (Blue) Del Amo Station in Los Angeles and El Monte Station in El Monte – in serving zip codes identified by Gov. Gavin Newsom as having high rates of COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates.
Metro’s Office of Equity and Race spearheaded this effort to ensure a more equitable recovery by offering convenient access to free vaccines at Metro transit sites. For additional information on Metro’s Office of Equity and Race, please visit https://metro.com-beta.com/projects/resources/equity/.
For additional information on free vaccination sites at Metro transit locations, please visit https://metro.com-beta.com/vax.
About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is currently providing lifeline service for essential trips and frontline workers. Metro continues building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan.
Metro has proudly pledged to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Health and Safety Commitment Program to help ensure the safe return of transit riders as the U.S. recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.
