VA Central Iowa Healthcare System provides flu shots and resources to more than 700 Veterans at annual drive-through event

A total of 732 Veterans, caregivers and family members received information or got their annual flu shots or both as they drove through the third annual Drive Through Shot Clinic and Resource Fair held over two days at VA Central Iowa Healthcare System (VACIHS) on the Beaverdale campus, 3600-30th Street, Des Moines.

In addition to annual flu shots, Veterans are also provided information on the resources available to them at VA such as women’s health, intimate partner violence, whole health, mental health, suicide prevention and others.

The fair was initiated as a way to provide flu shots and information to Veterans and maintain social distancing during the heart of the COVID - 19 pandemic. Although some restrictions have relaxed, the fair has proved so popular VA Central Iowa decided to continue it as a service to their patients.

“This has grown to one of our most popular events on campus,” said Lori Reynolds, Suicide Prevention Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator and organizer of the event. “Vehicles were lined up even before the event began at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.”

This year’s event began Sept. 29 when the clinic provided around 400 flu shots to Veterans who were not required leave their vehicles. The event continued Oct. 1 with additional vaccines given to motorists.

Veterans in need could also receive coats, boots, and other clothes to help them through the upcoming winter. These items remained in inventory from the recent Homeless Standdown that supported the homeless Veterans in the Central Iowa area.

“Providing these types of services to our Veterans is another way we work to earn their trust each day,” said Darwin Goodspeed, director of VA Central Iowa. “We are eager to find new and innovative ways to make sure we are providing the best care to the most Veterans we can.”

VA Central Iowa Healthcare System provides health care services to Veterans in central Iowa. The Des Moines VA Medical Center offers a full range of primary, emergency, specialty, and long-term care with six outpatient clinics operated in South Des Moines, Carroll, Fort Dodge, Knoxville, Marshalltown, and Mason City. Additionally, the VA Community Resource & Referral Center (CRRC), located in downtown Des Moines, provides Veterans who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness with one-stop access to community-based, multiagency services to promote permanent housing, health and mental health care, career development and access to VA and non-VA benefits. For more information, call the CRRC at (515) 699-5637.

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Dan Kuester, Public Affairs Officer

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