Havre-area veterans invited to VA's drive-up flu clinic

From Montana VA Health Care System 

The Montana VA Health Care System — MTVAHCS — is providing free flu shots at its Havre VA clinic for veterans enrolled in VA health care twice a week.

Mondays and Tuesdays, from 8:30 a.m. until 4: p.m., veterans can drive up to the clinic, call 265-4304 ext. 2241, and a staff member will come outside to administer a flu shot. The Havre VA clinic is located at 130 13th Street, Suite 1.

The facts about influenza are that it can cause severe illness and is a vaccine-preventable disease. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were more than 410,000 flu hospitalizations and more than 24,000 deaths in the United States during the flu season. Each veteran who gets a flu shot sets themself up to be as healthy as possible. Plus, the healthy habits that 2020 has normalized — covering coughs, washing hands often, and staying home when sick — will continue to protect us all as the nation enters flu season.

“In minimizing our risk of influenza, we make a decision that is the most responsible and proactive for ourselves and our community. The flu shot protects ourselves, our loved ones, the healthcare professionals who care for us, and our most vulnerable populations,” said MTVAHCS Executive Director Dr. Judy Hayman.

The flu will have the most negative impacts on high-risk groups such as adults who are 65 years or older, pregnant women, people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, individuals with medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and kidney or liver disorders, and people weakened immune symptoms.

  People that receive the influenza vaccine have a reduced risk of being infected with influenza and becoming very ill as a result of infection.  Reducing influenza-related illness and complications will help preserve resources for COVID-19 response.  This makes getting vaccinated even more important this influenza season,” said MTVAHCS Infection Preventionist Christie Wilson.

Montana’s veterans have multiple options to get their flu shot this year. First, veterans with scheduled MTVAHCS appointments will be offered flu shots at the time of their appointment. Second, MTVAHCS clinics across the state are holding drive-thru or walk-in flu clinics. Finally, Montana veterans can find community locations to get no-cost flu shots at flu shot locations across Montana via http://www.va.gov/communitycare/flushot.asp .

MTVAHCS’s overall trust scores — which derive from veteran rankings of their health care experiences — are at a historic high. MTVAHCS provides healthcare to veterans across Montana through a series of community-based clinics; the Miles City Community Living Center, Montana VA’s only nursing home; an acute care medical center; a nationally acclaimed sleep center, and robust telehealth services. 

The MTVAHCS serves more than 47,000 enrolled veterans across Montana — an area roughly 147,000 square miles in size. Veterans are cared for by a staff of 1,400 at 17 sites of care across the state.  One third of Montana VA employees are veterans.

For more information, visit the MTVAHCS website at https://www.montana.va.gov and contact Public Affairs Officer Katie Beall at [email protected] or 406-447-7303.