Coronavirus precautions at Fargo VA

NOTE: This page is updated regularly with new COVID-19 information and guidance for the Fargo VA Health Care System's medical center and community based outpatient clinics across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Updated April 20, 2021 - NOTE: This page is updated regularly with new COVID-19 information and guidance for the Fargo VA Health Care System's medical center and community based outpatient clinics.

COVID-19 Vaccine: The SAVE LIVES Act has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations provided by VA to the following groups:

- All categories of Veterans regardless of Character of Discharge - Anyone who served in the U.S. military is eligible to be vaccinated through VA.

- Spouses of a Veteran - For COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, we define a spouse to include marriage, same-sex, and common-law marriages. This includes a widow or widower of a Veteran. If you characterize your relationship as spousal, you can receive the vaccine.

- Caregivers of a Veteran - For COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, we define a caregiver as a family member or friend who provides care to the Veteran. Caregivers may help the Veteran with personal needs like feeding, bathing, or dressing. They may also help the Veteran with tasks like shopping or transportation.

- Recipients of Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) benefits.

If you're interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, please call the Fargo VA at 800-410-9723 or (701) 239-3700, select option 2, then select option 1 primary care scheduling, to inquire about vaccine appointment locations - perhaps at a location near you - and options. Hours of operation for this phone line are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Time.

Your employer, pharmacy, or local public health officials may offer you a COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage you to take the first opportunity you have to get a vaccine at the most convenient location for you.

Appointments and walk-ins are available Monday through Friday at the Fargo VA Medical Center.

If you've already received your COVID-19 vaccination from a non-VA provider or location, please let your VA healthcare team know to help us in our vaccine planning.

Why should you consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Based on evidence from clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people who received two doses who had no evidence of being previously infected. Vaccines slow the spread of the coronavirus, protecting our families, friends, and neighbors. The vaccine must be given in two doses to be fully effective. Your second dose should be given 28 days after your first dose.

After you receive the vaccine, it will still be important to continue wearing a face covering in public, washing your hands, and maintaining social distancing. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Fargo VA Health Care System also continues to actively contact Veterans across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota directly to schedule appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Fargo VA HCS is currently offering expanded services beyond urgent, emergent, and telemedicine.

The Fargo VA HCS's number one priority is to provide services in an environment that is safe for our Veterans and staff. We continue to screen everyone entering our facilities for coronavirus to ensure minimum exposure to you, your caregivers, and our staff.

If you're a Veteran seeking medical care, call before visiting (701-239-3700). You can also sign in to My HealtheVet (www.myhealth.va.gov) and send a secure message to your Primary Care Team. You may be able to get diagnosed and receive care through VA telehealth without having to come in at all. Appointments currently scheduled as some type of telehealth will remain this way unless you instruct us otherwise.

We continue to ask that you not bring any additional people to your outpatient medical appointments unless they're required to assist with your transportation or medical care.

We are allowing walk-ins only for the designated walk-in clinic and for urgent and emergent issues. Individual departments and clinics in primary care and specialty medicine are not taking walk-ins. Regardless of the scenario, Veterans who are seeking medical care are highly encouraged to call before visiting (701-239-3700).

Upon entering the Medical Center in Fargo, you'll see our centralized check-in. Our centralized check-in is located inside the main entrance on the north side of the Medical Center, so you should ensure you park in the north parking lot. If you park in the south parking lot, you will not be able to enter the Medical Center through the south entrance - you will be guided to the north entrance. Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. You may be asked to wait in our front lobby, rather than in the clinic area, to enhance our ability to social distance.

All staff, patients, visitors, and anyone else entering Fargo VA HCS facilities - to include our community based outpatient clinics - is required to wear a face covering, mask, or face shield. Everyone who enters a Fargo VA Health Care System facility will be provided a mask or face shield, if they do not already have one, at the entrances when they are screened. If you're unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, you will be provided a face shield. If you currently have your own face covering, we encourage you to wear it when entering our facilities.

You may be tested for COVID-19 within VA and we may ask you to distance yourself from others while waiting for your results. Please be sure to inform your VA provider if you receive a COVID-19 diagnostic test outside of VA. You and your provider will discuss your treatment options and overall health status while COVID-19 safety restrictions still exist. You will discuss the risks of certain treatments or procedures, taking into account your overall health status, risk for complications, and urgency of the considered treatment. Your VA provider may recommend that you continue to postpone routine but highest risk procedures, including dental and eye examinations.

The Fargo VA Pharmacy window is temporarily closed as a COVID-19 safety precaution. Until further notice, all prescriptions will be mailed to patients unless deemed urgent by your provider. Prescription refills can be requested via telephone at 1-855-560-1718, on My HealtheVet, on the Rx Refill mobile app, or mailed to Fargo VA Health Care System, Pharmacy (119), 2101 N Elm Street, Fargo, ND 58102.

Our Eye Clinic will remain closed to unscheduled walk-in services - optical services are currently provided by scheduled appointment only. Please call the Eye Clinic at (701) 239-3700 extension 3748 to schedule an appointment for any eyeglass fittings, adjustments, or repairs.

Only one visitor/companion per Veteran is allowed in our facilities for Veterans who require assistance for outpatient visits. We are allowing one visitor in our inpatient departments, with the exception of the Community Living Center where there is no visitation allowed. Exceptions may be made for visiting inpatients in compassionate cases when Veterans are in their last stages of life on hospice units. We're very sensitive to the anxieties visitation restrictions cause our patients and their loved ones, but this measure of protection is essential at this time to keep people safe. Thank you to all of our visitors and Veterans for helping us protect the safety of everyone within our facilities.

Stay current on our COVID-19 information and operations by visiting our website at www.fargo.va.gov or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

More information about online tools for Veterans:

Through VA's virtual care tools, we're able to leverage available technology to make sure our patients and staff are as safe as possible during this time. To help us address our Veterans' most-urgent needs first, we ask that Veterans use our online tools for routine or non-urgent questions. Here are some examples:

Telephone or Video Appointments - Veterans can receive care at home - either over the phone or via video using VA Video Connect on their computers, smartphones, or tablets. To set up telephone or video appointments, Veterans can send their provider a secure message on My HealtheVet by visiting myhealth.va.gov. To learn more about VA Video Connect, visit mobile.va.gov/app/va-video-connect.

Prescription Refills - Veterans can request prescription refills and order and ship medications to their homes using My HealtheVet or the Rx Refill mobile app. Download the app at mobile.va.gov/app/rx-refill.

Text Message Reminders - Veterans can use Annie's Coronavirus Precautions protocol to send automated text messages with information about COVID-19. This application helps Veterans monitor for symptoms and can assist if they need to contact their VA facility for care. Enroll at mobile.va.gov/annie.

Secure Messaging - With My HealtheVet, VA's online patient portal, Veterans can send online secure messages to your VA health care team to ask them nonurgent health questions. Register at www.myhealth.va.gov.

For more information about VA's Connected Care technologies, visit connectedcare.va.gov.

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