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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a transportation grant in the amount of $250,000 to the State of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs to provide transportation options to veterans residing in some rural areas who need to travel for health care services.
This grant was a competitive award given under the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. The duration is for three years, for a total of $750,000.
“This is the first step in ensuring our veterans in some of our rural communities have access to quality care,” said Verdie Bowen Sr., director of the State of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs. “This fills a void that we currently have, and we hope to expand the program as we move forward.”
The following boroughs were selected as a test pilot: Denali, Matanuska-Susitna, Kodiak Island, Kenai Peninsula and Prince of Wales-Hyder. The grant is now in place in all five areas. Veterans living in those communities qualify to use an array of transportation options so that they can seek the health care they need.
The Alaska Department of Military & Veterans Affairs partnered with five transportation organizations to meet those needs: Interior Alaska Bus Line (Denali Borough), Valley Mover (Matanuska-Susitna Borough), Alaska Marine Highway System (Kodiak Island Borough), AAA Alaska Cab, Inc., (Kenai Peninsula Borough) and Inter-Island Ferry System Authority (Prince of Wales–Hyder).
Transportation will be provided at no cost to veterans requiring access to the VA Medical Clinic or any Community Based Outpatient Clinic, hospital under the Native Health Care Sharing Agreement or VA authorized vendors, such as pharmacies or medical specialists.
“I encourage veterans in each of the boroughs identified to contact our transportation partners for schedules and locations for pick up and drop off,” Bowen said. “Through this new program, we envision that our veterans living in the selected boroughs will have greater ease in access to health care.”
The Office of Veterans Affairs has named the grant the Maurice “Mo” Bailey Highly Rural Transportation Grant in honor of the late Mo Bailey. He served in the U.S. Army from 1956-1976 and committed his life toward helping veterans. Bailey was dedicated to rural and urban outreach, from providing veterans rides in his aircraft to access care and services, to distributing food boxes to veterans in need. Bailey was always there to serve and was the 2007 recipient of the Governor’s Veterans Advocacy Award.
For more information, please contact either Forrest Powell or Verdie Bowen Sr. at (907)334-0874 or 1-888-248-3682.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2015 14:45 |
| Story ID: | 152483 |
| Location: | ANCHORAGE, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Travel grant helps rural Alaska veterans access health care, by Kalei Rupp, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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