New mobile vet center unveiled in Palm Springs

A new mobile veterans center was unveiled Thursday in Palm Springs by Congressman Raul Ruiz (D)-36th District. The mobile vet center would allow services to become more accessible for veterans in the Coachella Valley and Hemet areas. Ruiz said this was a culmination of two years of work.

Jim Hawk, a Vietnam Veteran, said he was happy to see the mobile center.

“I was pretty impressed,” he said. “I was blown away to see this. It happened in a short amount of time.”

Hawk is a commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Indio. He said that he often helps his fellow veterans and is glad they won’t have to make a long trip to seek veterans services.

“I often have to send them to Loma Linda, which is an hour and a half away and (has) a long line, and now because of the schedule of the center, it’s going to be an amazing help to have it here in the Coachella Valley,” he said.

Rep. Ruiz said the mobile center was the next step in eventually getting a permanent veterans center in the valley. He said Riverside County had the third largest amount of veterans in the state and wanted to spread the word about the mobile center.

“I need the community’s help to come and utilize it,” he said. “Tell a friend, tell a veteran, because this mobile vet center is able to change lives for the better and even save a couple as well.”