Veterans and their families living in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas will soon find accessing Department of Veterans Affairs health care easier, thanks to the addition of two new mobile units at Texas Valley Coastal Bend VA.
The 30-foot vehicles will be used to reach veterans living in remote or distant areas, have limited access to health care, or for those who may not have sought needed care and services for various reasons at permanent VA facilities.
The new vehicles were at open houses in Port Isabel, Falfurrias, Rio Grande City, Zapata, Rockport, Alice, and Carrizo Springs. Veterans also had a chance to get a flu vaccine and learn more about their benefits at each stop.
“During these events, we celebrated our veterans and their families, as well as connected with our community to share information about the services we provide and the new mobile medical units,” said acting public affairs officer Hugo Martinez.
The units are outfitted to deliver primary care, women’s health, audiology, laboratory and telehealth services. Each has a wheelchair lift and are telehealth-ready with two patient areas complete with exam room tables and a blood draw area.
The vehicles also have a triage area with medical testing equipment, a generator, a refrigerator for medical use, a lavatory and a pressurized water system.
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VA has used mobile units to provide service continuity during emergencies when permanent sites of care are disabled or insufficient to meet the demand for health care services. They were deployed as part of VA’s recovery efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 in Texas and Louisiana.
Veterans interested in receiving primary care through a mobile unit operated by the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System should call 1-855-864-0516.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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