Congresswoman Cori Bush Visits Federally Funded St. Louis Vaccination Center
ST. LOUIS, MO – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released a statement following her visit to the new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) community vaccination center in St. Louis. During her visit, the Congresswoman met with the Acting FEMA Regional Administrator for Region VII, the Senior and Deputy Community Vaccination Center Site Coordinators, the Director of the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and SEMA’s Response Division Director.
“It is a new and hopeful day in St. Louis,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “I am proud the doors are now open at The Dome at the America’s Center vaccination site, thanks to tireless efforts to expand vaccine access in St. Louis through the American Rescue Plan. For months, I have been calling for equitable vaccine distribution after our state elected officials decided to leave St. Louis and predominantly Black and brown communities without access to the COVID-19 vaccine. In February, I led a letter to President Biden to ensure underserved communities and communities of color like those in St. Louis would not be left behind during the vaccine distribution. In the weeks and months since I have been in constant communication with the White House to ensure St. Louis would receive the doses we have long needed to save lives.
“This community vaccination site will help vaccinate nearly 170,000 people over the next 8 weeks. This new FEMA program, along with the $500 million we secured for the City of St. Louis and the $26 million secured for St. Louis area community health centers through the American Rescue Plan, will ensure our community has the vaccine doses and economic support we so desperately need. But, our work is not done. My office will continue with outreach efforts to ensure St. Louisans have the information and transportation needed to utilize services at the community vaccination center. There are resources available, and I encourage everyone in our area to register for the site online or simply show up to the vaccination site if you are able.”
Earlier today, the Congresswoman went LIVE on Facebook with FEMA site coordinator DuWayne Tewes to encourage St. Louisans to utilize the new vaccination center.
To view and download photos from the Congresswoman’s visit, click here.
The doses being administered at this federally supported community vaccination clinic will be in addition to Missouri’s approximately 200,000 initial doses distributed weekly to nearly 1,050 state-approved vaccine providers.
The Missouri National Guard, Department of Health and Senior Services, and State Emergency Management Agency are partnering with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the City of St. Louis to host this eight-week FEMA mass vaccination clinic.
The clinic will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Residents who would like to register can visit the Vaccine Navigator and register online or may call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at (877) 435-8411. People who have already signed up on the City of St. Louis website, St. Louis County, a hospital or some other site will have to sign up on Vaccine Navigator to be registered for the mass vaccination site. Walk-ins at the center are also welcomed.
St. Louisans do not need proof of insurance to register or receive the vaccine. FREE parking is available in the lot on Cole Street between North 6th Street and North Broadway. Persons who need accommodation at the site, such as those with access and functional needs, should register by calling the phone number, (877) 435-8411. Those who speak a language other than English can register online by clicking on the “Translate” button at the top of the Vaccine Navigator page.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.