As a way to reach, educate and council veterans in rural communities the VA employs the help of mobile vet centers, and one visited Lubbock on Thursday afternoon.
“We travel from county to county to do outreach for Veteran’s in a rural area, explain to them about benefits they can have, what’s available to them and how they can get in touch with those as well as explain to them what the vet center does,” mobile vet center technician Shawn White said.
White said the one he brought to Lubbock is usually stationed in Amarillo and has been around for a few years.
“I cover all of the Texas panhandle from Lubbock, north and five counties in New Mexico, 15 counties in Oklahoma and eight counties in Kansas,” White said.
The mobile unit can act as a counseling center and a place were vets can video conference with their doctors.
Tony Mendoza, a Vietnam Veteran, said he drove nearly 30 minutes from Lorenzo to see the mobile unit while it’s in Lubbock.
Mendoza said the average age of a Vietnam vet is 68, and most can’t or don’t want to leave the house.
“It’s pressure to come out into a big city due to the fact of how we cope with the society and people around,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to associate with big crowds.”
Mendoza said he hopes more veterans take advantage of the mobile unit.
“It’s difficult for them to go out to veteran service or seek the help that they need,” Mendoza said. “This way if the mobile veteran unit is willing to come out to the rural areas and help the veterans there then I think it’ll be a great benefit to all the veterans.”
