Kedren Health + Los Angeles Standby Covid Vaccine Guide: Small Business Owners, Freelancers, and those without Healthcare
Kedren Standby Covid Vaccine Guide: Tips + Info
Rising Tides Raise All Ships. We are in this together.
I received my first Moderna Covid-19 vaccine dose on March 9, 2021 and I put this guide together to help anyone else seeking the same information. This guide is especially helpful for those that do not have consistent access to Healthcare, those in underserved, underrepresented communities, and freelancers + small business owners, both inside and outside, of the vast creative industry and network here in Los Angeles.
This guide specifically breaks down the logistical considerations required to receive a vaccine on a standby basis from Kedren Health Community Center in South Los Angeles for Free.
Priority + Facility Background
*First and foremost, if you live in the 90011 zip code, this facility is here to serve you. You do not need to wait in this line and you essentially have a priority fast pass to the front. This health facility has struck a specific partnership with the CDC to receive soon-to-expire excess covid vaccinations direct from CDC and neighboring clinics throughout Los Angeles County to specifically serve this community. This zip code is one of the most heavily impacted zip codes in the US, with average numbers reporting that 1 of 5 people living in this area contracted Covid-19. As far as I’m aware, this facility only receives Pfizer and Moderna. It is random which one they administer on any day.
Interested in Volunteering?
Email vaccines@kedrenhealth.org
If you:
- are 50 years or older
- are a healthcare worker or teacher
- have special circumstances like restrictions with health, age etc
you can probably talk to security or volunteers at the front of the line and they will likely prioritize you.
If your household has a 50+ person, your entire family can probably talk to security or volunteers at the front of the line and they will likely prioritize your whole group since you share a roof.
If you do not fall under any of these categories, the resources of the facility are still available to you but you must respectfully wait your turn in the standby line.
*There is a need to administer excess vaccinations from no-show appointments before they expire and there’s no shame in completing the overall mission to not let any covid vaccines go to waste. Kedren Community Health Center allegedly administers about 2500 vaccines a day. There’s a high probability that ~10% of those appointments result in “no shows”, potentially freeing up as many as 250 vaccines daily, which is why we are seeing these huge lines accumulate at this facility as early as 10:00pm the night before.
Bathrooms
There are Porta Potty’s w/ hand sanitizer available to the public at the entrance. Kindly ask the person in front of or behind you in line to hold your place while you go to the bathroom. Walk to the front and find security/volunteers and they’ll direct you where to find them.
Facility Location:
https://goo.gl/maps/UZVyZghLdEcXBHDJ9
I Parked Here (Street Sweeping on Friday):
*Please consider the overwhelming impact many vehicles will have on this community. It is encouraged that you walk, get dropped off, uber, or carpool to this location to alleviate pressure on the neighborhood.
https://goo.gl/maps/tnX3ekxNdThbVVk98
Standby Line Starts Here:
https://goo.gl/maps/3RbKQcCLn6ePc9uo7
Note - (Standby line can extend all the way to the baseball diamond and further
Please Consider Donating to This Facility Here:
https://www.kedren.org/donate/...
There are Porta Potty’s w/ hand sanitizer available to the public at the entrance. Kindly ask the person in front of or behind you in line to hold your place while you go to the bathroom. Walk to the front and find security/volunteers and they’ll direct you where to find them.
My Path A-D on Google Maps on 3/9/21:
After waiting in line for 8 hours and watching members of the community and elders receive priority standby access. I am happy to report that I have officially received my first dose of the Moderna Vaccine. Here’s what my day looked like.
A - 7:20am - Arrival
B - 12:26pm - Moved Here
C - 2:24pm - Progress
D - 2:28pm - Next Group to Enter Facility
X - 2:33pm - TV Crew Arrives
X - 2:45pm - Paperwork + Clipboard in Hand
X - 2:57pm - Vaccine Administered
X - 3:10pm - Volunteers advised that I wait 15 minutes in the holding area to ensure I did not have a bad reaction to the vaccine.
X - 3:30pm - Exited and noticed short line, potentially could get in if just arriving. (Subject to availability.)
X - 4:30pm - I believe this is when the facility closes.
Scheduling Your 2nd Vaccine Dose is possible at www.Calvax.org or you can return to this same facility on the date written on the back of your vaccination card and you can go right up to the front of the line and you'll wait for entry in a much smaller line.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e2...
*Note - The line does not move person by person, the line moves group by group. Sometimes you won’t see the line move for hours then suddenly you will move halfway to the facility in one go.
*Apparently, the last scheduled appointments at Kedren end at 3:40pm, so the line typically moves fastest around then until closing since Kedren knows exactly how many excess vaccines they have left to administer to standbys.
Advice + Packing List:
- Sunscreen (my forehead got sunburnt)
- Water
- Snacks / Bring Lunch
- Mask
- Camping Chair
- Warm Layers (sitting outside in wind for 8 hours is easier with warm clothes)
- External Battery Bank
- Picnic Blanket
- Friends make it easier to hold places in line for bathroom breaks
- Games or Cards
- Download Podcasts
All Up To Chance:
There is no guaranteed arrival time to get a Covid vaccine. Sometimes they hand out none. March 3rd, 4th, and 8th they handed out over a hundred each day, some people arriving as late as 10am (and later). I know someone that lined up at 12:30pm on the 8th and got the vaccine by 4:15pm. March 5th the cutoff was closer to 5:30am. Some people line up as early as 11pm the night before. There is no arrival time that guarantees vaccination, and you may need to come back numerous times to get lucky that they have extras that day. It's all luck, go with the flow.
Again, Donate to Kedren Here:
https://www.kedren.org/donate/...
VICE News:
Closing Thoughts
I am very grateful that this facility is giving back to Los Angeles at large and putting these soon-to-be expiring Covid-19 vaccines to good use. I 100% agree with their prioritization of their community by design.
*Los Angeles has been through enough with intense social distancing measures, high infection rates, and the obvious economic devastation to small businesses and our neighborhoods.
I am very touched that these services are provided to anyone seeking them for free, especially to freelancers, small business owners, and members of the underserved community without equitable access to standard healthcare services. Yesterday was the first time I’ve felt like we’re nearing the end of this Corona Virus episode. I admit, I teared up reflecting on it.
*If you made it this far, I am a small business owner and I freelance as a creative director and aerial cinematographer here in LA. March and April of 2020 we documented and produced this aerial showcase of Los Angeles during peak Covid Lockdowns. This city has endured so much, let’s hope we never see this again.