As community members seek access to COVID-19 vaccination, language-related needs—in addition to transportation needs—can be a barrier to vaccine access. This was one of many transportation-related challenges that partners shared during our recent community conversation on transportation needs. A variety of resources are available to those seeking language-accessible transportation to their COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
Washington 2-1-1
Anyone in Washington state may dial 2-1-1 to request in-language transportation resources. WA 2-1-1 is a confidential community service that can connect people to services like utility assistance, food, transportation, housing, health, childcare, and more. Callers will speak to a trained specialist who can provide information about resources local to the caller’s area. WA 2-1-1 offers TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing and provides interpreter services in 140+ languages.
Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Vaccine Hotline
DOH staffs a vaccine hotline for those seeking vaccine resources or a vaccine location in their area. The vaccine hotline offers language assistance for those who need it. Call 833-VAX-HELP (833-829-4357) and press # for support. In addition to the vaccine hotline, DOH offers a vaccine locator tool. For in-language messaging related to the DOH vaccine locator tool, explore the vaccine locator by language folder in Dropbox.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Hotline
The CDC offers a COVID-19 vaccine hotline for those pursuing vaccination. Assistance is available in a variety of languages and TTY is offered for the deaf and hard of hearing. Call 1-800-232-0233 to speak to a representative or 1-888-720-7489 for TTY support.
Regionally Specific Resources
Communities throughout Washington have developed a variety of regionally specific transportation resources to meet their unique needs. Explore the DOH Vaccine Transportation Resources document to discover transportation resources available in your area and associated language support options. As always, if you know of additional transportation resources not listed here, please reach out to a DH team member. We will aim to share new resources widely.