U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CWV – News Update

Perhaps your New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten, but it’s never too late to set an intention. And you can do this every day! Your daily work and routine can be enhanced if you take just a few minutes every morning to start with noticing your breath and setting an intention to live out your day with ease, gratitude and joy. [From VAntage Point]

Originating in India, the practice of yoga has gradually worked its way into the Western consciousness. Today, it is a common activity that is used to promote physical and emotional well-being, improve strength and to reduce stress. In a 2017 survey, one in seven Americans said they had practiced yoga in the past 12 months, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Now, VA investigators are examining the effectiveness of a clinical, trauma-sensitive yoga intervention to help women Veterans who experienced military sexual trauma (MST) and went on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Aleda E. Lutz, an air evacuation nurse who died in a plane crash during World War II. Aleda E. Lutz was born in November 1915, in Freeland, Michigan, to German immigrants Friederich Georg Lutz and Margaretha Sybilla Lutz. Lutz was the youngest of 10 children and belonged to St. John Lutheran Church-Amelith, where her family helped minister the German prisoners of war (POWs) who were at the Freeland POW Camp near her home. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

A combination of telehealth coaching and web-based skills training can significantly improve clinical outcomes and social functioning for Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST), says a VA study published in October 2021 in the “Journal of Rural Health.” For the small-sample study, funded by VA’s Office of Rural Health, 32 Veterans with a history of MST who also screened positive for either PTSD or depression were offered biweekly telehealth sessions, as well as a web-based skills training program called webSTAIR, for three consecutive months. [From VAntage Point]

“Adapt and overcome!” Marine Veteran Elysa Acosta-Millan talks about moving from holding a rifle in the Marine Corps to holding a microphone on the red carpet. She also talks about taking advantage of Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS), a program common to several branches of the military that allows reservists to serve in temporary postings while receiving all the benefits of of active-duty, including time accumulated toward retirement. [From VAntage Point]

Are you one of the fewer than half of all women Veterans not using the VA benefits and services you have earned? VA wants to hear from you. Designed to help understand why women Veterans are not accessing their earned benefits and services, the Center for Women Veterans (CWV) recently launched a women Veterans survey to find answers to crucial questions. [From VAntage Point]

During Black History Month, today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Lena King, who served in the 6888th during World War II. Lena King was born in 1923 in Washington, Georgia, and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when she was 2. She graduated from Germantown High School and took a job at the Navy Yard as a coppersmith. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

On World Cancer Day, today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Missina Schallus, who served as yeoman chief petty officer and survived three cancer bouts. Missina Schallus began her training at boot camp in January 1998 at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. She then attended ‘A’ School at Naval Air Station in Meridian, Mississippi. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Missina!

To date, more than 60 VA medical centers have been involved in trials on COVID-19 therapeutics (see sidebar), including antiviral drugs such as remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies, convalescent plasma, and immunomodulators. Other therapeutics are in the pipeline for clinical trials, but only one has received FDA approval. [From VAntage Point]

Stayce Harris was inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen and female pilots to serve in the Air Force. She later became the first African American woman to serve as a United States Air Force Lieutenant General. Stayce Harris was born in 1959 in Los Angeles, California. She was supported by her mother, who worked as a banker, and her father, who served in the Air Force. Harris was inspired to follow in her father’s footsteps, feeling a duty to serve. [From VAntage Point]

Concerned about the Omicron COVID-19 variant? You can reduce your risk of getting sick by switching your appointment to a video telehealth visit. With the VA Video Connect app, you can meet with your VA care team over a secure video connection. There is no need to drive to a VA medical center or clinic. [From VAntage Point]

A history of military sexual trauma is associated with an increased risk of recent suicidal thoughts in Veterans without a mental health diagnosis or mental health treatment history, according to a study of more than 40,000 post-9/11 Veterans. “We often study suicide and suicidal ideation—thoughts about suicide—in people who are already getting mental health care,” said Dr. Suzanne E. Decker, first author of the study. [From VAntage Point]

VA is committed to fostering Veterans’ healthy relationships, and we’re working to improve services to Veterans who’ve experienced domestic abuse, including intimate partner violence. VA’s mission is to care for those “who shall have borne the battle” and for their families, caregivers and survivors. [From VAntage Point]

Just under 70 years ago, an Army Veteran’s stand against racial injustice changed interstate transportation. Sarah Keys was a young, Black soldier serving at Fort Dix, New Jersey. She traveled on her way home to Washington, North Carolina, Aug. 1, 1952. [From VAntage Point]

Get the Recruitment & Retention, Employment & Integration, Well Being & Treatment, Servicwomen in the News, Women Veterans, and Upcoming Events DACOWITS news from January 2022. [From DACOWITS]