250 Havre-Area Veterans to Receive First COVID-19 Vaccines Today, Following Tester Efforts

Senator helped secure funding for new site to provide critical health care services, COVID-19 vaccinations to rural veterans in Montana

250 Montana veterans are set to receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine in Havre today following sustained efforts from Senator Jon Tester to protect rural veterans during the ongoing pandemic. Tester visited the new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Havre just last week.

“This is a great day for Montana’s veterans who are now one step closer to being protected from the coronavirus,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have worked with folks on the ground to secure this new and convenient site that will continue to administer highly-anticipated vaccines and provide essential health care to our state’s rural veterans. This first round of vaccines will help save lives by effectively slowing the spread in our communities-a key step in ending the ongoing pandemic and getting Montana’s economy back on track.”

After being selected to lead a national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) pilot program, a team from VA Fort Harrison-including a pharmacist, two doctors, and three nurses-flew this morning to Havre with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Today’s vaccine drive is scheduled from 9am to 2pm MT, and will administer approximately fifty vaccinations per hour. Vaccinations are available by appointment only for eligible and enrolled veterans.

Last week, Tester visited the new VA clinic in Havre ahead of its scheduled opening. As Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Tester played a significant role in securing the facility and naming it after a Montana veteran. Through his senior position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester helped secure $220 billion in fiscal year 2020 for the agency’s budget which included resources for remodeling and leasing of this facility in Montana and others across the country.