News and Updates

Last month, the Perinatal Reproductive Educational Planning and Resources (PREPARe) program hosted its first VA Maternal Health Summit at Orlando VA, led by VHA Innovation Ecosystem senior innovation fellow and PREPARe innovator, Melissa Tran.

Veterans and employees alike are finding happiness through health care thanks to the Transforming Health and Resilience through Integration of Values-based Experience (THRIVE), which has been adopted at 60 VA medical centers to date.

Loneliness has been described recently as a social epidemic affecting half of U.S. adults. While the reasons for this epidemic are varied and complex, the consequence of loneliness is clear: Research shows loneliness puts people at higher risk for heart disease, dementia, depression and even premature death.

Beth Dinges believes in questioning rules that restrict access that make it more difficult for vulnerable populations to access VA care and resources. Dinges was working as a clinical pharmacist in Danville, Illinois, when a patient asked a question that would change the trajectory of her VA career.

VA is helping Veterans access tools to reduce their risks associated with drug use through syringe service programs (SSPs), an initiative first implemented within VA by staff at VA Illiana. Participants can access supplies and services in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment. 

VOICES Veterans Socials are weekly 90-minute community gatherings that bring Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, or other supporters together in public spaces.