Category: VA

From counseling to emergency services, our psychologists do whatever it takes to help Veterans reclaim their mental and emotional freedom. At VA, you have the opportunity to practice in several specialized areas, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries and serious mental illness. VA psychologists can take on a leadership role or work in…

The following story includes discussions of sensitive topics like sexual harassment and sexual assault. VA acknowledges it may be difficult to engage with this content. It is our priority to make our stories educational, where we can engage empathetically and thoughtfully with difficult content, when appropriate, to promote a culture that is safe, welcoming and…

March 18-22 is LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week. At VA, we serve our Veterans with the equitable, inclusive, and respectful health care you deserve. Today, VA provides care to more than six million Veterans with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities. And a growing proportion of VA users are LGBTQ+ Veterans—with over 104,000 who…

Veterans in the “coping with pain” class I teach are often frustrated. Many were frustrated with their families for not being supportive enough, with their employers for not being understanding, and with their health care teams for not being able to cure their pain. I noticed these Veterans’ strongest frustration was usually with themselves and…

For years, Air Force Veteran Deanna King struggled with fatigue and exhaustion. After seeking help at Michael E. DeBakey VA in Houston and receiving a new device designed to treat sleep apnea, she sleeps like a baby.    “I was a walking zombie. I would often wake myself up because of snoring, but I really thought…

Bay Pines VA has announced the next class of honorees for the Women Veteran Wall display as part of its salute to Women’s History Month. The theme for the new honorees is “The Courage to Keep Fighting,” which acknowledges each Veteran’s service and their ongoing fight against cancer.  “Our support for women Veterans has never…

Veo Jessie joined the military looking for answers and ended it as a Prisoner of War (POW) survivor. Jessie decided at the age of 15 to join the military to uncover the truth about how his brother, a serviceman, had died. After telling the recruiter he was 17, he began his journey as a soldier.…

More than 80 percent of Americans discard perfectly good, safe food simply because they misunderstand food date labels. Wasted food ends up in landfills, nearly 60 million tons a year in the United States alone. That is estimated to be almost 40 percent of the entire U.S. food supply. Food in landfills means an increase…

Match Day marks an important milestone in a new physician’s career, when medical students across the country learn where they will begin their residencies. Many new residents make their way to VA and not only practice medicine, but learn about our mission to serve Veterans. “I just don’t see any profession that really tops what…

Kathryn Patricia “Kay” Hire was born in Mobile, Alabama, in August 1959. She studied at the United States Naval Academy and received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Management in 1981; later, she earned a Master of Science in Space Technology in 1991 at the Florida Institute of Technology. Hire’s service began in the…

The arrival of a mobile mammography bus marked a significant stride toward extending crucial screening services to Tennessee Veterans. In an effort to enhance health care accessibility for Veterans, Tennessee Valley VA’s Chattanooga outpatient clinic recently collaborated with CHI Memorial MaryEllen Locher Breast Center to introduce a groundbreaking initiative. “For the women’s health program, we are…

Hurricane Janelle brought a powerful mix of wind and rain to residents of North Texas and to a flurry of activity at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. A gigantic C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft, medical and emergency personnel and services from local, state and federal entities stood ready for the chaos that ensues during natural…