A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
VA Stories of Note: July 2 – July 8
WXXV (FOX-25) (Gulfport, Miss.), July 7: VA in Biloxi to receive Medical Mobile Unit
The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System is scheduled to receive a Medical Mobile Unit on Friday at the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The MMU is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver primary care and other services to enrolled Veterans with limited access to VA healthcare services due to low population density, remoteness or limited local demand for specialized services.
mHealth Intelligence (Danvers, Mass.), July7: Wyoming VA Center Takes Telehealth Services on the Road for Distant Vets
VA healthcare providers in Wyoming are adding telehealth services to their eye care program to serve distant veterans in the rural state. The Cheyenne VA Medical Center has acquired a mobile health unit, which it’s now using to bring its Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS) program on the road.
KFVS (CBS-12) (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), July 7: Homeless veterans receive free haircuts in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Some homeless veterans were given free haircuts to boost their self-esteem. One veteran said proudly, “I look sharp!” Lee Willard, the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center peer support specialist, worked with some of his colleagues, Homeless Program Coordinator Jennifer Lay and Voluntary Services Specialist Dale Day, to organize the haircuts.
FOX News, July 6: Paralyzed veteran stands to raise American Flag on Fourth of July
A United States Army veteran who is paralyzed from the waist down stood up to raise the American flag amid our country's 245th birthday on July 4. The moment was captured on video in New Orleans, Louisiana, as Buddy Laddin appeared at the annual Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Salute to the Flag event hosted at the New Orleans Veterans Medical Center.
WJBF (ABC-6, Video) (Augusta, Ga.), July 6: Charlie Norwood VA treating patients through rock wall therapy
Step by step, veterans climb the 50-foot rock wall at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. “It’s an incredible feeling,” Hector Avila, a Marine Corps veteran, says. Every step is a step toward recovery for injured veterans. “As you do it, you’ll find that you get stronger and better at it.”
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.), July 3: PTSD unit helping veterans get their lives back
Harmon manages the Grand Junction Veterans Affairs Hospital’s Center for Post Traumatic Growth, a clinical team that helps veterans reduce PTSD symptoms and increase functionality, which started work about a year ago.
Picayune Item (Picayune, Miss.), July 2: Millions in grants awarded to organizations in Mississippi to aid in curbing Veteran homelessness (2 July, 54k uvm; Picayune, MS)
Hundreds of very low-income Veteran families in Jackson, Mississippi who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless, will have access to crucial services from local organizations via grants provided by the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center’s (GVMVAMC) Supportive Services for Veteran Families program.
WTVD (ABC-11, Video) (Durham, N.C.), July 1: Chicago WWII veteran Lester Adams turns 100 on July 3
Lester Adams has experienced a remarkable life and many changes during his close to 100 years on earth. […] Lester's physician, Dr. Gregory Winstead, from the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, talks about Lester's amazing grace, resilience and service to the county while describing Lester's tenacity, having undergone tough kidney surgery at the tender age of 99, and bouncing back two months later.
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), July 1: Oklahoma LGBTQ veterans find support, acceptance with Belong Group
Once a week, about eight LGBTQ veterans meet at the Oklahoma City Veteran Affairs facility as part of the health care system’s Belong Group, a support group that provides a space where they can find acceptance and community. “This group has definitely been a plus for me,” army veteran Cornell Gallagher said.
WCNC (NBC-36, Video) (Charlotte, N.C.), July 1: Veterans Health Administration talks about the Pride Program
Three-minute video: It's estimated that there are more than one million LGBTQ+ Veterans. VA's "PRIDE In All Who Served" Program aims to reduce health care disparities among LGBTQ+ Veterans by focusing on wellness, increasing social connectedness, and empowering them to engage in VHA services.
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