Dan Ashley knows not all veterans can make a trip to access services, so he’s coming to them.

Ashley works for the Boise Mobile Vet Center, and he drives a specially designed bus to towns in Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon to meet with veterans.

“This is a traveling office,” he said on Sept. 14, when he parked the bus near the VFW in Baker City. “I can roll into any community and have an immediate office to meet with vets.”

He said there are 80 mobile veteran centers across the United States.

“Each state has at least one,” he said.

Mike Wilson, commander of VFW Post 3048 in Baker City, hopes to bring the Vet Center to town on a regular basis.

“We want to bring it here every month,” he said.

Ashley said the mobile center is focused on counseling and outreach.

“Our focus is connecting, camaraderie and community,” he said.

As for the outreach portion, he wants to be sure “veterans understand benefits, and connect them with services.”

He said the Vet Center is separate from the VA Hospital, and is unique in several ways: the center focuses on behavioral, not medical, needs; it’s for all veterans and their families; and it is available for those on active duty.

Also, Ashley said the Vet Center is staffed with trained counselors and social workers. He, for instance, has a master’s in social work. Also, the staff are veterans.

“It helps that we’re veterans too — it forms a quick bond,” said Ashley, who served in the Army for 22 years.

He’s worked for the Boise Vet Center since 2005.

Access

Ashley said one part of his job is to make sure veterans “have access to immediate care.”

For example, he wants veterans to know about the COMPACT Act, which provides free suicide care for veterans.

“They can show up at an ER anywhere and say ‘I’m in crisis,’ ” Ashley said.

When veterans come to his mobile office, Ashley can help connect him or her with services. In early September, he set up at an air show in Boise where 200,000 people attended over three days.

“It was worth it,” he said. “I’m out here to let the community know what we do. You might have a loved one or a neighbor who’s a veteran.”

Also, a veteran who calls the Mobile Vet Center telephone will always reach a real person.

“That gives them care, right then and there,” Ashley said. “If they call us, we’ll be there.”

The number is 877-927-VETS.

Information is also available online at vetcenter.va.gov.

Another resource for veteran services and benefits is Rick Gloria, Baker County veterans service officer, who can be reached at 541-523-8223.

Schedule

Although Oregon has four veteran centers, Ashley said three are in western Oregon, and the fourth is in Bend. Boise is closer to Eastern Oregon, which is why he drives west to see veterans.

He sets up the Mobile Vet Center in John Day on the second Wednesday of each month, and typically mets with about 30 veterans there, he said.

He hopes to make Baker City a regular stop on his tour through Eastern Oregon. The next visit by the Mobile Vet Center will be posted on the VFW’s Facebook page — search for “Veterans Memorial Club — Post #3048.”

And next time he comes, Ashley’s mobile office will look different — mostly blue, with red and white stripes, and a star decal.

“I call it the Captain America-mobile,” he said with a smile.

Disaster relief

In addition to connecting with veterans, Ashley said the Mobile Vet Center can also deploy for disaster recovery missions, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“Just provide services to everybody, because everybody is in crisis,” he said.

“I can roll into any community and have an immediate office to meet with vets.”

— Dan Ashley, Boise Mobile Vet Center