Set to open March 17, expects to administer 6,000 vaccines per day

CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 5, 2021) - Cleveland State University will open its doors to the public in less than two weeks to provide COVID-19 vaccines as Ohio's first state-federal mass vaccination clinic.

CSU's Wolstein Center, located at 2000 Prospect Avenue in downtown Cleveland, was recommended by Ohio and selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) based on its proximity to a large percentage of Ohio's high-risk citizens and medically underserved populations. Approximately 1.1 million Ohioans ages 60 and older live in Northeast Ohio, and of the more than 25,000 total Ohioans who live within one mile of the site, nearly 45 percent the live below the poverty level.

The Ohio Department of Health, Ohio National Guard and Ohio Emergency Management Agency will manage the site with support from Cleveland State University, FEMA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

It is scheduled to open March 17 for eight weeks.

"We stand front and center with our federal, state and local partners in serving our community in this important way," said Cleveland State University President Harlan Sands. "As Cleveland's public research institution, providing these critical vaccinations is mission-central for CSU."

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will hold an in-person press conference at 1 p.m. at the Wolstein Center with local leaders, including Sands, to share more details. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish will also attend the press conference. The news conference will be live streamed at ohiochannel.org.

"Now that the supply of vaccine is significantly increasing, this is the perfect time for a large-scale clinic in Ohio to bolster our work to get shots in arms quickly, efficiently, and equitably," Governor DeWine said in a press release.

The mass vaccination clinic will operate seven days a week, 12 hours per day. Any Ohioan who is eligible to receive the vaccine under the Ohio Department of Health's vaccination plan may be vaccinated at the clinic, but focus will be placed on ensuring that high-risk and underserved Ohioans have easy access to appointments.

Ohioans will have multiple options for appointment scheduling, including in-person, phone and online scheduling via Ohio's forthcoming statewide online scheduling system. Cuyahoga County will work with the County Council to provide free bus passes through RTA and subsidize ride share services for people who call 2-1-1 and request transport to the Wolstein site for their vaccination appointment. Other forms of transportation will also be provided including transportation through the Senior Transportation Center and local churches.

The vaccine doses that FEMA will administer during this clinic are in addition to Ohio's regular statewide vaccine shipments that are distributed to the state's more than 1,250 established vaccine providers.

More information can be found at coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine and on CSU's website and social media channels as it becomes available.

Quick Facts about The Wolstein Center

• Address: 2000 Prospect Ave. East, Cleveland
• Home arena for CSU basketball
• Site of entertainment events and concerts
• Accessible to approximately 4.5 million people within a 100 mile radius
• 9,000 parking spaces within a 4-block radius of the facility

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About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With nearly 16,000 students, ten colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2021 as one of America's best universities by U.S. News & World Report, including the #1 public university in Ohio for social mobility. Find more information at www.csuohio.edu