FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2021
CONTACT:
Jesse Brown Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Email: chspao@va.gov
Cell: 773-987-6052
Office phone: 312-569-6402
Public Affairs Officer: Steven Miller
CHICAGO — The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center will open a stand-alone COVID-19 vaccine clinic for Veterans on Monday, March 29. The clinic will serve all veterans eligible for health care from the Veterans Health Administration, regardless of their age or any health conditions.
The clinic is located at 2215 W. Harrison Street in Chicago, just blocks from the Jesse Brown main hospital campus. Parking is available near the clinic, and there is free parking at Jesse Brown with free shuttle service to the clinic location and back. The vaccine clinic will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The operating hours on Wednesdays will 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Jesse Brown partnered with the Illinois Medical District (IMD) to utilize the building on Harrison Street. This arrangement allows for greater flexibility in serving veterans with the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are thrilled to be working with the IMD to provide this kind of service to veterans. We have been vaccinating veterans since December and have a tested and proven process that we are able to scale up to offer vaccines to many more veterans throughout the Chicago area,” said Rick Ament, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Director.
“The IMD is honored to do its part in helping ensure veterans have equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine,” said IMD Interim Executive Director Kate Schellinger. “We are grateful for their service, and for the opportunity to partner with Jesse Brown on this vaccination campaign.”
Jesse Brown currently serves approximately 35,000 veterans and has provided vaccines to more than 16,000 of them. The off-site location allows Jesse Brown to vaccinate many more veterans every day than is possible within the medical center.
President Joe Biden recently signed the SAVE LIVES Act, which authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer COVID-19 vaccines to all veterans regardless of whether they currently get health care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The Act also allows the VHA to offer COVID-19 vaccines to spouses and caregivers of veterans as more vaccine doses become available. Jesse Brown will publish more information about local implementation of the SAVE LIVES Act as the number of available doses increases.
Veterans can schedule vaccination appointments through their care team at Jesse Brown or by calling (312) 569-5801. Veterans can also visit https://www.chicago.va.gov/services/covid-19-vaccines.asp for current information about clinic hours. Veterans who get the COVID-19 vaccine and are not currently enrolled in VA health care will be registered in the VA system, and their eligibility for future health care will be determined.
About the Jesse Brown VA: The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center is located near downtown Chicago in the Illinois Medical District. It is a 220-bed acute care facility and operates four community-based outpatient clinics in Auburn Gresham, Lakeside, Chicago Heights, and Crown Point, IN. Jesse Brown VAMC provides care to approximately 62,000 enrolled Veterans who live in the City of Chicago, Cook County and six counties in northwestern Indiana.
About the Illinois Medical District: The IMD is a community of health, technology and life science organizations in the heart of Chicago, two miles west of the Loop on 560 acres. Every day, more than 80,000 people visit the IMD, including more than 29,000 employees. With $220 million in annual research funding, the IMD generates $3.4 billion in economic activity each year. The IMD offers partners a unique ecosystem of knowledge, collaboration and resources, plus something more: the opportunity to impact the world’s next great healthcare innovation district. Together, IMD partners accelerate discovery and commercialization that is reshaping the practice of all life sciences, generating prosperity for everyone.
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