Making A Difference Archive
The My Health
eVet van
Promoting My HealtheVet in Bedford, Massachusetts
My HealtheVet (MHV) champions at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) Bedford, Massachusetts are very creative in promoting MHV and teaching veterans to use MHV. For example, they placed decals containing the MHV logo/website on one of their hospital vans and equipped the van for training veterans and employees about MHV at malls, veteran-oriented events, and their community-based outpatient clinics. Bedford's MHV champions park their van in local shopping center parking lots and set up a table, MHV banners/signs, and distribute MHV literature to veterans. They hand out MHV-promotional items such as pencils, pens, and framed business cards, all of which are donated by the local VFW chapter.
Edward -Andy- Andrzejewski
Going Strong After 68 Years With VA
Visitors to the volunteer office at the Detroit VA Medical Center may not know it, but sitting before them is Mr. VA, himself. Looking at Edward "Andy" Andrzejewski, you'd have no idea that he was first employed by VA (then the Veterans Administration) in 1937. He retired in 1988, but returned the next week as a volunteer and he's been one ever since.
Looking a spry 75 or so, it's surprising to find he is 91 years old. Andy began his VA employment at the Detroit Federal Building when the "old" VA Hospital in Allen Park was under construction. He took part in moving day to the "brand new" Allen Park facility in 1939 and worked there in both Recreation Therapy and Voluntary Service. In 1996, Andy moved to the new Detroit facility.
New Mexico VA Medical
Center volunteers
Computer Savvy Volunteers
A special group of volunteers at the New Mexico VA Medical Center help veterans learn how to use My HealtheVet. Among their many duties, these dedicated volunteers at the Patient Education Resource Room assist veterans with registration on the My HealtheVet website. Many of these volunteers have taken computer courses to enhance their computer skills so they can provide the veterans greater assistance. They also refer veterans to computer classes to help improve their computer skills so they can use all the My HealtheVet products. These volunteers also work at a display booth advertising My HealtheVet several times a year. They hand out literature and promotional materials, and have even developed a PowerPoint presentation for the patient education kiosks.
Patrick Gault
Master Gardener - Talented Seamstress
Millie Corey, 89, is making a difference at the Battle Creek, Mich., VA Medical Center. A master gardener, she's been volunteering at the medical center for the past 10 years, making flower arrangements for display in various areas and working in the garden. And she recently took on a new role - official flag mender. When word got out that Corey was a talented seamstress, Anthony T. Prince, captain of the Battle Creek VA police, asked if she would be willing to repair some torn flags. She agreed and he brought her a handful of flags, some as large as eight by ten feet.
She took them home and has been mending them in her spare time. "She is invaluable to us," Jon Maggard, acting chief of protective services, told the Battle Creek Enquirer. "The sun, wind and storms do a number on our flags, and it's expensive to replace them. Mrs. Corey does a beautiful job of mending them, and we hope to use her talents for a long time."
Unsung Hero
Marks is a burly man with a thick beard who rides and works on motorcycles as a hobby. He served in the Navy in Vietnam between 1964 and 1968. He's also a local representative for the Vietnam Veterans of America. Marks is one of the biggest promoters of My HealtheVet, so much so that VA officials have discussed his promotional work at national conferences. Patients "believe me more than they believe the staff," he said, his eyes twinkling. "They tell me things because they've been through the same stuff."
When the Elevators Went Out...
July 12, 2005 - When the elevators went out June 22 at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo., employees formed a human chain to deliver lunches up the stairwell to patients on the 3rd and 4th floors. All the elevators in the facility's six-floor main building stopped working at mid-morning and didn't come back on until 1:00 p.m. When lunchtime rolled around, staff called for volunteers to help deliver the lunches. Employees from throughout the medical center - nurses, housekeepers, clerks, credit union staff, transcribers, business office staff, police, information resource staff and others - answered the call. "All of the patients received a warm meal. No trays were spilled, no one was injured and the human chain made deliveries in record time," noted staff assistant Dewayne Coleman.
Charleston Champions My HealtheVet
The My HealtheVet (MHV) Team at the VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC is reaching out to inform and train veterans, families, and VA staff about My HealtheVet. Charleston created the first MHV computer training program which is offered to all of their employees. Other VAs use the Charleston Training Program as a model for training their staff.
Working for a Better Future
VA, Army Partnership Helps Homeless Veterans Get Back on Their Feet
A 40-foot rappelling tower is one of a dozen construction projects underway at Fort Devens, an Army Reserve training site located about 40 miles west of Boston. But the work isn't being done by Army engineers. It's being completed by military veterans, under a partnership between the fort and nearby Bedford, Mass., VA Medical Center.
Veterans with Special Needs are Using My HealtheVet
The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System is located in Tucson, Arizona. The staff of its Blind Rehabilitation Center use creative techniques for teaching veterans and their families to use My HealtheVet (MHV). Computer training is one of the many skills taught to visually impaired veterans at the facility. As part of their training, patients receive a computer that is set up specifically for them, which they keep after completing their training. The magnification, color, print size, contrast, and voice components are adjusted to meet the specific needs of these veterans.
Working Together to Spread the Word on My HealtheVet (MHV)
The VA Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23) is working together as a team in planning and coordinating My HealtheVet (MHV) Website training and communication activities.
Veteran Opportunities in Bedford, Massachusetts
The Veteran Education Center at VA Medical Center (VAMC) Bedford, Massachusetts offers opportunities for veterans to teach other veterans the basics of using computers, and My HealtheVet (MHV) is a component of all of their computer-based training.
Creative My HealtheVet Training and Registration Methods Employed
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System is successfully applying creative techniques in training and registering veterans and VA employees on the My HealtheVet (MHV) National Website. The facility's MHV team is comprised of a combination of volunteers and staff dedicated to a shared vision of informing and assisting veterans in using MHV. The Patient Education Library is the central location for most of the medical center's MHV activities. When veterans request health-related information in the hospital's library, MHV team members assist in obtaining the information directly from the MHV Website. Veterans are then encouraged to register for MHV and training is provided 'on the spot'.
Reviewed/Updated March 6, 2006
