How you can check your health or a get a vaccine while riding Metrorail in Miami

Adlai Coleman
·2 min read

Maybe you’ve never uttered the words “health” and “commute” in the same sentence

Now you can.

For the next month, UHealth is offering a variety of health screenings at a Metrorail station just named for the hospital district that it serves.

University of Miami Health System mobile clinics will offer free cancer screenings, pediatric vaccines and other health prevention services outside the former Civic Center station, newly renamed as UHealth | Jackson at 1501 NW 12th Ave.

A guest rides the escalator at the UHealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, after the naming ceremony on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.
A guest rides the escalator at the UHealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, after the naming ceremony on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.

“This unveiling is more than a name,” said Dr. Dipen J. Parekh, chief operating officer of UHealth, “Naming this station with our Jackson partners, demonstrates our commitment to increasing access for the entire community.”

The new name is the result of a partnership between Miami-Dade County and the UHealth and Jackson Health System. Miami Today reported that UHealth purchased the naming rights from the county for just over $2.9 million. The deal was approved by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners in June.

“It’s not just about getting patients here,” said Carlos Correcha-Price, the chief marketing officer for UHealth and the mastermind behind this new partnership, “it’s about meeting people where they are.”

What kind of healthcare will be offered at the Metrorail station?

Metrorail riders arrive at the UHealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.
Metrorail riders arrive at the UHealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.

UHealth has several mobile health units that will be at the station over the next 30 days, Parekh said.

The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at UHealth has mobile units that offer screenings for colorectal, prostate and cervical cancer, as well as HIV and Hepatitis B and C testing.

UHealth also has two pediatric mobile units that offer physical exams, eye exams, vaccinations and hearing testing.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has a mobile unit that will offer free vision exams and referrals to eye specialists, and UHealth’s preventative cardiovascular health team will do heart health screenings at the station.

All of the services offered at the Metrorail stop outside the hospitals are free.

The health screenings started on Friday. UHealth is working on a schedule for the mobile units at the station, said spokesperson Joanna Palmer.

Dr. Lisa Gwynn, medical director for the pediatric mobile clinic, said that the unit will be at the station “for weeks at a time” over the next month.

Schedules for the pediatric mobile clinics, as well as the cancer-screening vehicles, can be viewed on the UHealth website.

Pediatrician Karen Mendez prepares a vaccine inside the SHOTZ-2-GO mobile pediatric vaccination unit outside of the Uhealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.
Pediatrician Karen Mendez prepares a vaccine inside the SHOTZ-2-GO mobile pediatric vaccination unit outside of the Uhealth Jackson Metro Station, formerly known as the Civic Center, on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Miami, Fla.