The Fargo VA Health Care System offers Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to ANYONE who served in the U.S. military, spouses of Veterans, caregivers of Veterans, and recipients of Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) benefits.

Those eligible for a booster using new bivalent COVID-19 vaccines include:

• Veterans who completed primary series vaccination with two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months ago, or with a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months ago.
• Veterans who have received one or two prior booster doses are also eligible 2 months after their most recent dose.
• The Fargo VA HCS offers the Moderna COVID-19 updated booster vaccine.

Those interested in receiving a COVID-19 initial vaccine and bivalent booster dose can call the Fargo VA Health Care System at 1-855-846-8154, select option 2, to inquire about COVID-19 vaccine booster shot appointment locations and options. Hours of operation for this phone line are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Time. You may also call your local VA outpatient clinic directly to discuss vaccine options.

You can also receive your booster dose at no cost to you outside of VA. You can locate a vaccine site at www.vaccines.gov/search/. Be sure to bring your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card when you go. If you’ve already received your COVID-19 vaccine and/or booster dose(s) from a non-VA provider or location, please let your VA healthcare team know. You can send a picture of your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card to your VA provider through secure messaging. You can also add your vaccine information to your MyHealtheVet health summary for your own records. To add your information, you’ll need a premium MyHealtheVet account.

The Fargo VA Health Care System'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 more than 1 or 2 additional people to your outpatient medical appointments. Veterans who are seeking medical care are highly encouraged to call before visiting (701-239-3700). Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

All staff, patients, visitors, and anyone else entering Fargo VA Health Care System 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 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.

Only one or two companion per Veteran is allowed in our facilities for Veterans who require assistance for outpatient visits. We’re now allowing more than one visitor in our inpatient departments, although visitation to the Community Living Center may be restricted depending on current COVID-19 activity in the community. Please call ahead before your visit to the Community Living Center. Thank you to all 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 www.connectedcare.va.gov.