DEMPS

Coast Guard Veteran Wendell Henderson travels so much in support of hurricane relief and the coronavirus pandemic, staff at the Jackson, MS, VA often ask, “Where’s Wendell?” 120 days since Jan. 2020.

VA nurses recently received an unexpected gift, thanks to Nike. The multinational footwear and apparel manufacturer donated nearly 3,800 pairs of Air Zoom Pulse shoes to VHA nurses on the frontlines battling COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, over 1,000 VA staff have volunteered for more than 3,700 deployments to support Veterans and civilians in the most hard-hit areas of the country in response to COVID-19.

VA nurse Michelle Cummins, an Army nurse Veteran, is serving on detail at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso. It’s her way of giving back to those who “saw something” in her.

VA supports employees who want to volunteer their time through flexible scheduling, paid time off and a program to help the nation in emergencies.

VA nurse Dorothy Barrow deployed to the Whiteriver Indian Hospital, ready to support the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona during a peak period of COVID-19 cases there in June.

On Aug. 30, Muskogee VA welcomed 40 VA employees from facilities across America. The team is part of VA’s main program for deployment of clinical and non-clinical staff to an emergency or disaster.

More than thirty nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses reported in August to the Biloxi VA as part of planned response to Veteran need during global health crisis.

Ashley Henson and Shelia McCraney, skilled respiratory therapists with the Kansas City VA medical center, deployed to Chicago to care for COVID positive Veterans. They spent their two weeks on the night shift.