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The VA has announced that it will send its Puget Sound mobile medical unit to Raymond to serve Southwest Washington’s rural veterans.

Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler has been working with the VA for more than two years to give veterans in Southwest Washington access to this resource that brings primary health care to rural areas. Some veterans in Southwest Washington must travel 150 miles roundtrip to obtain care from a VA facility.  The mobile medical unit program was designed to bridge this gap by bringing basic care such as checkups, flu shots, and prescription filling closer to remote and rural communities.

The VA has announced that it will deploy its mobile medical unit to Raymond for one week every quarter, beginning with the following scheduled appearance next month.  According to VA personnel, walk up appointments will be available, and if there is not availability upon arrival, veterans will have the option to be scheduled for a later time or day.

When: 10/14 – 9am-3pm
10/15 – 8am-3pm
10/16 – 8am-3pm
10/17 – 8am-Noon

Where: American Legion
221 Duryea St
Raymond, WA 98577

Services include:

·Primary health care appointments and walk-ups

·Physical Exams

·Flu shots and other immunizations

·Prescriptions

·Labs

· Assistance in signing up for VA benefits

“We have a responsibility to make sure every veteran has access to the quality health care they were promised,” said Jaime. “After more than two years of working to make sure the federal government better utilizes this taxpayer-funded resource, I am pleased that the VA will finally use its mobile medical unit to regularly serve Southwest Washington vets.  I hope veterans will come take advantage of this opportunity to get care closer to home. Currently, most veterans in the Pacific County area must travel more than 60 miles each way to get even basic care like flu shots or prescriptions from a VA facility. Given the need to fix the VA’s overall system for serving veterans, this is a good step.”

Background on Jaime’s efforts to bring the Mobile medical unit to Southwest Washington:

· July, 2012: Jaime formally requested that the Puget Sound Mobile medical unit be deployed to Southwest Washington. Click here to read more.  

· May, 2013: Jaime introduced a legislative provision to audit the VA’s Mobile medical unit program. Click here to read more.

· May, 2014: As a result of Jaime’s legislative efforts, an audit is performed revealing gaps and identified recommendations for improvement. Click here to read more.

· June, 2014: Jaime sends letter to VA Secretary General once again requesting the Puget Sound Mobile medical unit be deployed to Southwest Washington. Click here to read more.