VA recognizes winners of 2020 Community Partnership Challenge

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced the winners of the 2020 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Community Partnership Challenge recognizing VA facility partnerships with local community organizations that help Veterans and their families lead happier healthier lives.

The annual challenge spotlights successful partnerships between VA medical facilities and nongovernmental organizations and brings attention to the collaborative efforts taking place in local communities that serve Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

The three winning enterprises include:

• Cincinnati VA Medical Center’s partnership with Freestore Foodbank, which has provided more than 10,000 meals for Veterans and their families in the last three years.

• Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center’s partnership with Lowcountry Hospitality Association, known as “Turnaround Tuesday” is a collaboration helping Veterans find employment in the Charleston, South Carolina hospitality industry.
• VA Ann Arbor Medical Center and VA Toledo Community Based Outpatient Clinic have a partnership with the Toledo Bar Association which helps Veterans with noncriminal legal issues such as employment discrimination, landlord-tenant issues and bankruptcy which takes place at free monthly walk-in clinics.

“VA remains focused on its mission to care for America’s Veterans and collaborating with community partners augments VA’s services,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “These VA medical center staff and their community partners are doing great things for Veterans by helping them find jobs, putting food on their tables, and relieving their stress by helping with noncriminal legal issues.”

More than 45 facilities applied to the 2020 VHA Community Partnership Challenge. This year’s theme was “social determinants of health”. VA medical facilities were encouraged to submit entries that demonstrate how their partnerships are helping Veterans lead healthier happier lives by increasing their access to education, employment, food security, housing, spiritual support and transportation.

Visit VA’s Office of Community Engagement for more information.