Community leader in rural Georgia shares telehealth resources with Veterans

VA is committed to reaching Veterans where they are, even in the most rural areas. For the Office of Connected Care, this could be at a VA Medical Center, a Veterans Service Organization event or even a campsite with telehealth.

Air Force and National Guard Veteran Patti Fabian first learned of VA’s telehealth services at the American Legion National Convention. She talked with Connected Care staff about VA telehealth tools and how to use them to access VA care from anywhere.

Fabian (on the left in the photo) realized that telehealth could be a game changer for the more than 3,000 Veterans who live in her home of Decatur County, Georgia. Like the other 4.4 million Veterans in the United States who live in rural areas, Fabian and her fellow Veterans can find it hard to access in-person care.

“We’re over an hour to our closest VA medical center. It’s important for me to gain resources for my local community of Veterans who have no resources in the area,” Fabian shared.

Reaching Veterans where they are

After meeting members of the Connected Care team, Fabian knew she had to share the telehealth information she received.

Fabian is co-owner of At Ease Campground and Marina in Bainbridge, which has become an avenue for community building and knowledge sharing among local Veterans. She hosts retreats and programs for active duty service members and Veterans at her campground, including a Veterans meet and greet held on the first Thursday of each month.

“I’d had no experience with telehealth and when I found out about it at the convention, I thought, this can help. It is something we are 100% going to implement and help all our people,” she said.

Fabian made copies of the handouts she received and distributed them to over 40 Veterans at the meet and greet. She even helped some Veterans navigate the VA App Store and download apps to their personal devices.

How to start using VA’s telehealth services

Fabian plans to continue her community outreach to ensure all Veterans know about the telehealth resources available to them.

VA offers telehealth services in over 50 specialty care areas including primary care, mental health care, cardiology and pain management. Talk with your VA provider or your local VA medical center to see if telehealth is a good fit for your care plan and to learn how to get started.  

Learn more about telehealth.