By Abbie Shull
The News Tribune
The Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System launched an on-the-road COVID-19 vaccination effort aimed at veterans in rural parts of the state Thursday.
The first event, a drive-thru vaccine site at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, drew more than 100 veterans at pre-scheduled times throughout the day. They will return in three weeks to get their second shots.
“We are committed to ensuring no veteran is left behind,” said VA Puget Sound Director Michael Tadych. “We continue to work with our equity and special populations teams to identify veteran populations who may not be able to come in for their vaccines and to those who may be hesitant to get the vaccine.”
Using its Mobile Medical Unit — which regularly provides health services to veterans in Shelton, Aberdeen, Raymond, Snohomish and Ocean Shores as part of the Rural Health Initiative — the VA plans to partner with communities to get vaccines to patients who are homebound, homeless or cannot make the trip to Tacoma or Seattle to visit a regular clinic.
As of Thursday, March 4, the VA is only offering the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines; however, it expects to start offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as soon as next week, according to Maureen McLain, vaccine director for the VA Puget Sound.
Rick Ragsdale, a 58-year-old veteran of the U.S. Air Force, got his first dose of the vaccine at Thursday’s event. He said he had no hesitancy toward getting the vaccine and was surprised he was even eligible.
“I thought I would be much further down the line,” Ragsdale said. “But I’ve had the shingles vaccine and the flu shot. I wasn’t afraid of this vaccine because I believe in the process. They’re not going to intentionally harm us.”
Ragsdale said now that he has the vaccine, he’s hoping to visit his two grandchildren in Alaska over the summer.
“All that bologna people used to say about the VA is just not true,” Ragsdale said, adding that he only started getting care from the VA in September 2020 after friends explained he’d be eligible for services.
“Most of our veterans have been excited about getting the vaccine,” said McLain. “Some do have vaccine hesitancy, but we have a multi-disciplinary team that will reach out to them and try to clear up any questions they have.”
McLain said the VA is focused on getting the word out about the vaccine. Staff members try to reach veterans by phone, email, text message, letters and public-facing outreach.
For the last month, McLain and her team have been working on ways to bring more equity and access to the vaccine for veterans who live in rural areas.
“With our main campuses we’ve been able to reach urban veterans, and what we want to do is be able to reach those veterans who can’t drive in to our main campuses,” McLain said.
Thursday’s event was in partnership with the Squaxin Island Tribe, and future sites include Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.
“While Little Creek Casino Resort’s contribution to this noble effort is nominal, we recognize the impact of the vaccination clinic on the lives of our veterans is substantial to their health and well-being,” said Chairman of Squaxin Island Tribe Kris K. Peters in a news release. “We are honored to provide the vaccination site to our veterans.”
The next stops for the drive-thru vaccine sites will be in Chehalis and Aberdeen. Veterans of any age, who currently receive care from the VA, can call 206-716-5716 to schedule an appointment.
As of Thursday, the VA Puget Sound has administered 16,811 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 6,836 complete doses.
Those who are not currently receiving care but believe they might be eligible for VA services can visit the VA’s website or call 1-877-222-VETS to get more information.
