Can’t make it to a Vet Center?  Have them come to you.                                                                                                                                                                  When a VA Vet Center is miles from your home, it's a long drive to access its many services. When those services come to you on wheels, life gets a little more convenient.                                                                                                                                                    The Mobile Vet Centers (MVCs) of the Department of Veterans Affairs provide readjustment counseling and information resources to Veterans across the country. Like community-based Vet Centers, Mobile Vet Centers focus on services that help Veterans make the difficult transition between military and civilian life.                                                                      The 50 motorized vehicles - resembling super-sized recreational vehicles - are driven to far-reaching rural areas to provide Veterans with services such as counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma, bereavement counseling, marriage and family counseling, and resources like VA benefits information and suicide prevention referrals.                                                                                                                                      On the Road: Outreach in Idaho...and Oregon The Vet Center in Boise, Idaho, acquired a Mobile Vet Center last March. Since then, the MVC staff has traveled to each of the 44 counties in its coverage area and attended various crowd-filled community events. Each trip has helped expand visibility and familiarity with VA services to Veterans residing in Idaho and eastern Oregon.                                                                               The value of the MVCs continues to increase as more Veterans discover the vital resources and support provided by readjustment counselors. "On an average day, we see four or five Veterans for readjustment counseling," said Dennis Udlinek, readjustment counselor assigned to the Boise Mobile Vet Center. These numbers vary depending on the daily travel schedule.                                                                                       Mobile Vet units are equipped as "offices on wheels," with the capacity to provide emergency support for natural disasters. Each motor coach houses a satellite dish that connects to communications and audio-visual equipment, six phone lines, a fax line, notebook computers, four encrypted computer lines and WiFi gear.                              Two dividers separate the motor coach into private counseling rooms. The cushy blue seats, tables fit-for-two, and couches allow for either individual or small group counseling sessions.

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