Bay Pines VA’s milestone in support of Million Veteran Program

Bay Pines VA has reached its latest achievement, surpassing 23,000 Veterans registered to VA’s Million Veteran Program (MVP).

Twelve years ago, the launch of MVP began with a goal to reach one-million Veterans. More than 950-thousand Veterans have registered nationally. MVP is a national research program looking at how genes, lifestyle, military experiences and exposures affect Veteran health and wellness. Medical research works best when researchers study large amounts of information from diverse groups of participants and, in some cases, narrow those groups to individuals who have experienced similar things like Veterans who served at the same time in similar areas.

“Thank you so much for your years of commitment, energy and success,” said MVP National Coordinator Katherine Solis. “Your perseverance and efforts make it possible for MVP to fulfill its promise of generating key research findings that help improve Veteran health.”

Importance of registration in MVP

“I am extremely proud but not surprised we have surpassed the 23,000 Veteran milestone,” said Bay Pines Director Paul M. Russo. “We have an amazing team who remains committed to serving Veterans and raising awareness about the importance of registration in MVP, along with the impact every Veteran makes as part of the program.”

Bay Pines VA serves approximately 110,000 Veteran annually across ten counties in southwest Florida, a state that ranks third nationally in Veteran population. These numbers provide tremendous opportunity for Veterans to be an integral part of health care support for those who served yesterday, today and tomorrow.

According to the MVP, researchers are making progress with health care-related data to support Veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Additionally, ongoing results from Veterans continue to generate more details on Gulf War-related illnesses and the impact of toxic exposures.

Go to mvp.va.gov to learn more or join online.

To read more stories regarding the Million Veteran Program, visit Million Veteran – VA News.