MetroLink commuters in north St. Louis County will soon have access to health care services at their local stations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $7.3 million in grants Monday to help communities connect commuters to health services, and St. Louis was one of 19 communities in 16 states that nabbed a piece of the funding.

More than $940,000 was awarded to a nonprofit arm of the Bi-State Development Agency and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health to bring health care screenings such as blood pressure and cholesterol tests to commuters.

The project will allow the county health department to staff its mobile clinic at a MetroLink station in north St. Louis County for six hours during four days each week, said John Wagner, director of the Bi-State Development Research Institute.

It will also provide commuters who need follow-up care with a free transportation voucher, Wagner said.

He said easy access to health care services is a struggle for some residents in North County. The clinic aims to reach 15,000 patients over 18 months.

Wagner said he hopes the program will improvement patients’ health and encourage people to see primary care physicians.