VA Portland Health Care System is exercising an abundance of caution in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to protect the Veterans we are privileged to serve, along with those who work, volunteer, and visit the facilities. As part of this approach, effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, we are temporarily suspending the Volunteer Transportation Network (VTN), commonly referred to as the “Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Transportation Program.”
This decision is made after close consideration of how VA facilities are managing nationally along with worries expressed to the local VA Voluntary Services (VAVS) office due to the ages and health concerns of our local drivers. The VTN program provides a vital resource for Veterans in our community, however, we have also seen a decrease in ridership over the past week as patients are choosing to minimize their exposure risk by selecting telehealth visits or rescheduling appointments. Because this is a constantly evolving situation we do not have a timeframe on when the VTN service will resume. Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we all work together throughout this event.
Click these links for more information about the VA Portland Veterans Transportation Program (VTP) including the Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) that serves eligible Veterans within 20 miles of Portland VA Medical Center, as well as other community transportation resources across the Pacific Northwest.
