One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
LA County Officials Move To Make Vaccination Sites More Accessible By Public Transit
People arrive in their vehicles to receive Covid-19 vaccines at the Fairplex in Pomona, California on January 22, 2021, one of five mass Covid-19 vaccine sites opened across Los Angeles County this week. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion to help more people get to and from vaccine sites.
While there are now more than 300 vaccine distribution sites dotted across the county, actually getting to one without a car can be challenging –- especially for seniors, people with mobility issues, or those who rely on L.A.'s sprawling public transportation system.
The motion, authored by Board Chair Hilda Solis, directs the county's Emergency Management and Public Health departments to find ways to either re-route existing bus routes closer to vaccine sites, or find other ways to make the sites more accessible.
The motion explains:
"Until the COVID-19 vaccine is available in every neighborhood, there are significant inequities like access to transportation that must be addressed.
With inclement weather, limited appointment availability, and a limited but growing number of vaccine sites, the county has a responsibility to partner with transportation operators, authorities and companies to ensure community members, particularly those 65 and older, can access our vaccination sites with ease"
"Mobilizing more accessible options to the vaccine is integral to a successful vaccination campaign. It's not only a matter of equity, but, in my mind, it's also a matter of ethics. It's the right thing to do."
Meanwhile, starting next week, officials say the Department of Public Health will send mobile vaccination teams directly to housing developments in the county's hardest-hit communities to vaccinate homebound seniors.
Sponsored message
READ THE MOTION
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
