The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center and Three Rivers College are teaming up to host a series of Veteran Coffee Social gatherings in February and March.
Events are scheduled from 10-11:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 and March 4, 18 and 25, and will be held in the Bess Conference Room on the Three Rivers campus.
“I think it’s going to be a really good outreach,” said Lee Willard, a peer support specialist at the VA medical center. “A lot of stuff happens and gets talked about around coffee, so I’m really excited about it.”
The concept for the socials, Willard said, is “to give veterans a place to find community outside of a VA hospital and for them to build connections.”
Essentially, the idea is to bring veterans of all generations together for an open dialog about the things that matter most to them, in similar fashion to traditional coffee shop or restaurant gatherings, while also getting them connected to the services they need.
“A veteran will talk more to somebody who’s walked in the same shoes,” explained George Adkins, a peer support apprentice at the VA medical center. “This is about them having a place to go with no diagnosis, no questions about their health … they can just come in and listen to people. It’s not about pressure, it’s about being a sanctuary for them.”
At the same time, Willard said, he hopes the social gatherings will help “break that stigma where people think VA is this or that. We want them to know that not only are we here to help and we do care, but there are veterans who work here that do understand.
“This VA cares. The people here care about veterans’ mental health, physical health … their whole health.”
One demographic the pair hopes to reach is younger veterans. “We want to bring the older generation that is used to doing stuff like this, but also bring in a younger generation and integrating them,” said Adkins. “It would give those veterans the chance to talk with other veterans and ask, ‘What do you think,’ and then they might decide they need to try VA services. It really will have a positive impact on their mental health and their well-being.”
Willard agreed, saying “One of the things we hope for is with the younger generation of veterans who do come through, that we give them the opportunity to realize they are not alone. That’s why I think it’s so important to do it at Three Rivers College.”
Three Rivers has “quite a few veteran students,” said Alisia Musser, the school’s veteran advisor and school certifying official. “The interaction between VA and us will get resources out that will show them more avenues within the community and different opportunities” available to them.
While the initial coffee socials will be held in Poplar Bluff, there are plans to expand the program to locations where community-based outpatient clinics of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center are located.
“We’ll go to those areas to help get it started,” said Adkins.
“We’re really hoping it takes off and the veterans themselves take the lead” after programs are launched at various locations, Musser added.
For more information about the Veteran Coffee Social events, Willard may be reached at 573-300-5076 or Adkins can be contacted at 573-718-6775. For information about other programs and services at the John J. Pershing VA medical Center, call 573-686-4151 or visit www.va.gov/poplar-bluff-health-care/.