V.A. Portland Health System to Get First Batch of COVID-19 Vaccines

V.A. Portland Health Care System today announced that it was selected as one of 37 V.A. sites to receive initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

V.A. Portland was selected for its ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and store the vaccines at extremely cold temperatures.   Public Affairs Officer Daniel Herrigstad says another reason is that the system serves such a large community, of about 95,000 veterans in Oregon and Washington.

V.A. Portland will begin vaccinating health care personnel and Veterans in their Community Living Center, on the Vancouver V.A. campus once the Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency use authorization for a vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine implementation will include an initial limited-supply phase followed by a general implementation phase when adequate supplies of the vaccine are available.

The V.A.’s goal is to offer COVID vaccine to all Veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated. As the supply of vaccine increases, VA Portland will communicate with their Veterans about options to get vaccinated.

“We are very excited to provide a vaccine that has the potential to help get COVID-19 under control when used alongside public health measures such as masking, physical distancing and frequent handwashing,” said Darwin Goodspeed, the Director of the V.A. Portland Health Care System.

Veterans who receive care with V.A. Portland can go to www.portland.va.gov for updated information on local vaccination details. Anyone can also sign up on that main VA Portland web page to receive email updates where it says “CONNECT WITH VA PORTLAND HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.” Information will also be shared on the VA Portland Facebook page.

Veterans are asked to not call the health care system for COVID vaccination updates. They are encouraged to communicate their questions or concerns about their care through their care teams, preferably through secure messaging.