50 Motor Coaches to Bring Services Closer to Veterans
October 22, 2008, Washington, DC – The first of a fleet of 50 new mobile counseling centers for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vet Center program was put into service today with the remainder scheduled to be activated over the next three months.
“Our widespread distribution of this fleet from coast to coast marks a new chapter in VA’s innovation to reach rural and underserved veterans with high-quality readjustment counseling,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.
Each vehicle will be assigned to one of VA’s existing Vet Centers, enabling the center to improve access to counseling by bringing services closer to veterans.
The 38-foot motor coaches, which have spaces for confidential counseling, will carry Vet Center counselors and outreach workers to events and activities to reach veterans in broad geographic areas, supplementing VA’s 232 current Vet Centers, which are scheduled to increase to 271 facilities by the end of 2009.
Vet Centers, operated by VA’s Readjustment Counseling Service, provide non-medical readjustment counseling in easily accessible, consumer-oriented facilities, addressing the social and economic dimensions of post-war needs. This includes psychological counseling for traumatic military-related experiences and family counseling when needed for the veteran’s readjustment.
The team leader at each Vet Center will develop an outreach plan for use of the vehicle within that region, not being limited to the traditional catchment area of a particular Vet Center.
These vehicles will be used to provide outreach and direct readjustment counseling at active-duty, reserve and National Guard activities, including post-deployment health reassessments for returning combat service members.
The vehicles will also be used to visit events typically staffed by local Vet Center staff, including homeless “stand downs,” veteran community events, county fairs, and unit reunions at sites ranging from Native American reservations to colleges.
While most of their use will be in Vet Centers’ delivery of readjustment counseling services, the local manager may arrange with VA hospitals or clinics in the region to provide occasional support for health promotion activities such as health screenings.
The normal counseling layout can be converted to support emergency medical missions, such as hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The 50 vehicles are being manufactured for VA by Farber Specialty Vehicles of Columbus, Ohio.
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Home Bases of Planned Vet Center Vehicles
Alabama: Birmingham
Arizona: Chinle and Prescott
Arkansas: Fayetteville
California: Corona, Fresno, Santa Cruz, and Eureka
Colorado: Colorado Springs
Florida: Pensacola
Georgia: Savannah and Macon
Idaho: Boise
Illinois: Springfield
Kansas: Wichita
Kentucky: Lexington
Louisiana: New Orleans
Maine: Caribou and Lewiston
Massachusetts: Springfield
Michigan: Escanaba
Minnesota: St. Paul
Montana: Missoula and Billings
Nebraska: Lincoln
New Mexico: Sante Fe and Las Cruces
New York: Watertown
North Carolina: Greenville
North Dakota: Minot and Fargo
Ohio: Dayton
Oregon: Eugene
Pennsylvania: Erie and Scranton
South Carolina: Columbia
South Dakota: Rapid City
Tennessee: Johnson City and Memphis
Texas: Amarillo, Midland, and San Antonio
Utah: Salt Lake
Vermont: White River Junction
Virginia: Richmond
Washington: Spokane and Tacoma
West Virginia: Morgantown and Beckley
Wyoming: Casper
