COLUMN: From one vet to another

Did you spend November and December promising yourself that come-January, you would stop overindulging and develop better habits? Ah, New Year’s resolutions… so easy to make…but they can be so hard to keep.

Area Veterans will be glad to know, however, that at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, we aim to help our patients succeed with their resolutions, and with their health care goals in general.

Do you want to take better care of yourself in 2019? Start by making sure you have a primary care provider at VA. Build a relationship with your care team, and develop trust with the people who will get to know you and your unique health care needs.

Dr. Hall

If weight loss is your goal, check out the weight management classes available through our MOVE! Program. Learn about nutrition, the benefits of exercise, and how to change your behaviors associated with diet and physical activity. Some of our Veterans have lost over 100 pounds using MOVE! We also offer weekly diabetes education classes, and health education for self-management of many chronic conditions.

Maybe you want to stop using tobacco or other addictive substances. VA can help with that, too! We offer self-management classes, behavioral counseling (via phone 24/7), and pharmaceutical support such as nicotine replacement therapy.

Struggling with depression, relationship issues, or having trouble sleeping? Our mental health professionals offer group and individual counseling through cognitive behavioral therapy and other time-tested methods to help you manage depression, motivation issues, or other conditions. We can also provide couples therapy to help strengthen your relationship with your partner.

Perhaps you resolve to give something back to your community this year. Our Voluntary Services department can suggest lots of ways to help other Veterans at our medical center – whether through direct interaction with patients and visitors, or quietly in the background; whichever is best for you.

If it’s a better work/life balance you seek, kick off your plan by attending the annual Valentines for Veterans Concert (featuring country music artists, Rodney Atkins and Tiera), coming up on February 15, at the Black River Coliseum. Bring a loved-one and take some time to enjoy the appreciation of your community while being royally entertained.

Finally, as a Veteran myself, I will tell you one of my New Year’s Resolutions – to help other Veterans understand the value of enrolling for VA health care. I often hear Veterans say things like, “I have good insurance,” or “I leave that for those who need it.” This makes me shake my head.

All eligible Veterans should enroll with VA. ALL of them. Insurance coverage should not keep you from enrolling. And you are helping “those who need it” when you enroll. The more Veterans who enroll, the more good we can do – the more services we can provide for your fellow Veterans. Let me put it this way: if we had only five Veterans who needed x-rays, we probably wouldn’t be able to provide an x-ray machine, radiology technician, and radiologist. But when thousands need that service, we can provide it here at the facility! You see the logic, right?

If you are already enrolled for VA health care – thank you. And if you are not…why not? Come in and give us a try!

So until next month —help a vet; enroll.

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Dr. Patricia Hall is the Medical Center Director of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center since 2016. She is a retired Army colonel and Bronze Star recipient, who completed two tours in Afghanistan where she commanded a hospital in a combat zone.