All patients of the Miami VA can get a COVID vaccine, regardless of age or illness

Michelle Marchante
·2 min read

All veterans in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties who are patients of the Miami VA Healthcare System can now get the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of age and medical condition.

Vaccines are free and will be available, as long as there is supply, at four locations. Two of the sites, one in Miami and the other in Sunrise, will not require appointments, although they are encouraged, the Miami VA said. The other two locations, in Key West and Homestead, are by appointment only.

While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order restricts vaccine eligibility to seniors 65 and older, people with high-risk medical conditions and other priority groups, the Miami VA is federally run. That means it’s following federal guidelines on who is eligible for the vaccine.

The changes at the South Florida VA network went into effect Thursday.

“We are incredibly excited to open our vaccination efforts to include all of our enrolled veterans, regardless of age,” said Miami VA Director Kalautie JangDhari in an emailed statement. “As vaccine supply continues to grow, this opportunity to help all our veterans get vaccinated is an incredibly important part of serving our community in the fight against COVID-19.”

Veterans who want to make an appointment can call 305-575-7000 or contact their care team.

Veterans must be enrolled and eligible for VA healthcare benefits. You must also be able to return to the same site for the second dose.

Here are the list of sites offering vaccines.

▪ Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center — 1201 NW 16th St., Miami

Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Walk-in and by appointment

▪ William “Bill” Kling VA Clinic — 9800 W. Commercial Blvd., Sunrise

Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Walk-in and by appointment

Key West VA Clinic — 1300 Douglas Cir. in Key West

By appointment only

Homestead VA Clinic — 950 Krome Ave. in Homestead

By appointment only

Veterans can visit https://www.miami.va.gov/services/covid-19-vaccines.asp for updates on Miami VA’s vaccination program.

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