pandemic

Veterans! If you were ineligible to donate blood because of your military service in Europe, you may be eligible now. The FDA lifted that ban and blood is urgently needed now because of the pandemic.

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.

Veterans' willingness to help test new treatments for COVID-19 means millions of lives around the world will potentially be saved. VA leadership thanks them for their service to their country and others.

Initial COVID-19 vaccine supplies are limited and first being offered to health care personnel. As the supply increases, care teams will contact Veterans receiving care at VA about their options.

Northport VAMC recently acquired a BioFire respiratory panel system to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The system reduces the wait time for Veterans down from two days to one hour.

VA supports rural Veterans and residents through a variety of resources. Nearly five million rural Veterans are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 challenges. Here’s how VA is helping.

VA, along with other federal agencies, submitted a COVID-19 vaccine plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prepare for distribution of one or more COVID-19 vaccine(s).

Philadelphia VA cross trained over 350 nurses to use their skills and experience in the most effective way during a pandemic. Training plan developed for potential surge in COVID-19 positive Veterans.

VA Bedford converted two former smoking areas into visitation cottages which now allow resident Veterans to engage with their loved ones. A local cleaning company generously donated their service.

Chaplains at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System have adapted creatively by finding innovative and meaningful ways to continue providing care. “What else can we do to serve our country’s Veterans?”

Last flu season, more than 27,000 Veterans came to VA hospitals with the flu. In addition, over 4,600 Veterans were hospitalized and 600 were in intensive care due to the flu.

VA Health care workers are managing stressful situations and are exposed to the unknown course of the pandemic. The Hampton VA medical center has implemented a Stress Management Response Team (SMaRT).