Welcome to The Pulse, a weekly roundup of health-focused news. Each Thursday, we bring you updates on health policy, community surveys, new clinical studies, programs and services in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Got a tip or story idea? Email me at emily@cardinalnews.org.
VetFest returns to Salem VA this weekend
This weekend, the Salem VA Health Care System will host a summer enrollment fair, offering on-site medical visits, access to benefits claims professionals, and picnic food.
At VetFest, veterans can enroll in VA healthcare and receive their initial primary care appointment with a doctor. Health professionals will also be available to provide toxic exposure screenings and private mental health support.
It’s also an opportunity to file veteran benefits claims or to check on the status of an existing claim, according to a press release from the Salem VA. Local veteran benefits administration representatives will offer one-on-one claims counseling.
Veterans can learn about VA programs avaible to them such as women’s health, homeless care/housing, suicide prevention, caregiver support, social work, whole health, adjustment counseling and VA volunteering opportunities, according to the press release.
“A key part of fulfilling our mission is ensuring that Veterans within our community receive the health care they have earned for serving our nation,” Tammy Snyder, executive director of the Salem VA Health Care System, said in the press release. “This engaging, accessible event allows Veterans to easily connect with our team to access the care and benefits they deserve. They served us, now it’s our duty and honor to serve them.”
VetFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Salem VA Medical Center, 1970 Roanoke Blvd., Salem. Picnic food, snacks and drinks will be provided.
New tool designed to help families navigate disability services across Virginia
A new, free online tool helps families find disability-related services and resources close to home.
Gwen Sparks of Springfield developed BridgeAbility Navigator as an independent project to organize resources based on a person’s location, needs and stage of their journey. Sparks has a background in mass communications and spent several years working in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to LinkedIn.
“After navigating this journey for my own family, finding the right resource sometimes felt like striking gold with a metal detector,” Sparks in a press release. “I built BridgeAbility Navigator to offer something closer to a digital map, a way to start where you are, see possible routes, save what may help and choose the path that makes sense for your family.”
The platform compiles useful information from state and local agencies, school systems, health networks, nonprofits, professional directories and individual providers. Users can search by program name or the city they live in, and can browse by category and explore resources by region.
For example, searching for Galax, Wise or Norton, brought up listings for Mount Rogers Community Services, Planning District One Behavioral Health Services, Junction Center for Independent Living, Mountain Empire Older Citizens and the DARS Norton office.
Sparks said over email that the website is still growing and encouraged users to reach out if they know of additional resources in their region that aren’t yet listed. She can be reached at sparksgwen71@gmail.com.
Users can also save the resources they’ve found and organize their roadmap in a readable PDF, according to the release.
The site also offers resources for navigating Medicaid and developmental disability waivers, education, therapy, employment, housing transportation, respite services and advocacy.
Cumberland and LENOWISCO health departments offer flu vaccination clinics
The Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO health districts are scheduling on-site flu vaccination clinics for local organizations.
The health department can bring flu vaccines directly to businesses, churches, senior centers, college campuses and other community organizations, according to a Facebook post by the LENOWISCO Health District.
Respiratory illnesses are currently low in Virginia, but flu season typically ramps up during the fall and winter months. During the last flu season, infections in Virginia began to rise in late December and early January.
In Southwest Virginia, flu illness rates remained higher than the statewide average from Jan. 12 through about April 13.
The region also has some of the lowest influenza vaccination rates in Virginia. Lee, Scott, Russell, Buchanan and Tazewell counties all had flu vaccination rates below 15% of the population.
Schedule an on-site flu vaccination clinic with local health districts; contact the health department in Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell or Wise; or fill out a form online.
