/ The plane carrying the Montana Veterans Affairs medical team and COVID-19 vaccine prepares to take off for Havre, Mont. The Montana Veterans Affairs Health Care system is leading a national pilot program to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to rural veterans. The Montana VA spent the past two and a half weeks planning the delivery trip to Havre and making a blueprint for getting the vaccine into rural areas. Their plan will be used by other states with similar geographical challenges in the coming weeks. Montana VA Chief of Pharmacy Lori Fitzgerald says Thursday's clinic went well. "We left Helena at 6:00 A.M. Loaded up our transport cooler, which had the vaccine in it, and we plugged that into the plane, to maintain the proper temperature for the vaccine," Fitzgerald says.