Category: VA

Long before construction begins on any part of VA medical centers, clinics or other facilities, VA’s Simulation Learning, Evaluation, Assessment and Research Network (SimLEARN)’s specialized Simulation-based Healthcare Design Testing (SbHDT) team gets to work. The team uses carefully constructed, highly realistic blueprints and full-scale models to spot flaws early in the design phase to avoid…

In January 1944, with WWII still raging, the newly constructed Newton D. Baker U.S. Army Hospital began receiving wounded service members. Located 90 miles from Washington D.C., the hospital was built in just 11 months and consisted of 100 buildings and 3,000 beds. Robert Leckie Later renamed the Martinsburg VA Medical Center, the campus now…

We often refer to things that sound great as being “Music to our Ears.” This saying became reality when an inpatient Veteran at Eastern Oklahoma VA was presented with a guitar by members of the Whole Health team, Highly Innovative Transformation Team (H.I.T.T.) and Guitar Heroes group. It all started when Aida Berrios, nursing assistant,…

As part of our ongoing effort to support the hiring of military spouses, VA recently became the first federal agency to sign the 4+1 Commitment in support of policies aimed at helping military spouses find meaningful employment. Developed by Blue Star Families, Hiring Our Heroes and Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), the…

Nurses are at the center of VA care. Anywhere you find us caring for Veterans, you’ll see a nurse stepping in to provide the kind of care those who served our country deserve. When we see how our nurses tirelessly provide the highest quality care to Veterans, we are humbled by their commitment and perseverance,…

Live music, food and family fun brought more than 1,000 Texas Veterans and their families together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in April at Houston’s VetFest 2024.  Suicide prevention staff at VetFest Staff from Michael E. DeBakey VA in Houston were front and center at the event, educating Veterans about PACT Act benefits, assisting them…

I was recently approved to start running again after a particularly severe back flare-up sidelined me for several months. My doctor encouraged me to “start slow,” aiming to get back to eventually running a 5K (a little over three miles) and not the longer distances I preferred. I “started slow” in other ways as well,…

Suicide has no single cause and no one approach can end it, but prevention is possible, especially when women Veterans find support before a crisis happens. Women Veterans may have unique experiences related to military service. Their health and wellbeing and exposure to trauma can increase the risk of suicide. Some also face medical and…

Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) is introducing an online service for ordering contact lenses, giving Veterans and their VA caregivers a quick and convenient way to get prescription contacts. The new VCS PatriotVision website allows Veterans, their families, their caregivers and VA employees the opportunity to order prescription contacts with free standard delivery. Partnering with NextDayContacts,…

Dr. Sari Hart is an emergency medicine physician at Edward Hines Jr. VA and assistant professor at Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. In March 2024, she was awarded the Stritch Humanism in Medicine award for developing and teaching a humanism-based elective course called Healer’s Art Reflection to Loyola medical students who receive…

Deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a small town by the name of Kerrville has been providing care for Veterans since 1923… even before VA gained ownership of the main facility in the area. Now known as Kerrville VA, this historic haven is a place where Veterans not only receive their health…

Michael E. DeBakey VA in Houston recently became accredited as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). “This accreditation affirms our team’s dedication to providing the most advanced expert care to our Veterans,” said Medical Center Director Frank Vazquez, Navy Veteran. “Working in partnership with clinicians throughout Houston VA,…