Voices For Veterans

September is Suicide Prevention Month and the St. Cloud V.A. Veterans Crisis Line is inviting people to to raise awareness about suicide prevention by distributing 1,000 VCL yard signs across Central Minnesota.

Alfonso S. Alarcon, MD was recently appointed as Director, Surgical and Specialty Care Integrated Clinical Community at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System. Dr. Alarcon and St. Cloud V.A. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable joins me on WJON today.

The St. Cloud V.A. is hosting a community clergy training event June 24 from 1-3 p.m. to education local clergy about suicide prevention and moral injury. This is a virtual event and space is limited.

This month on WJON's Voices for Veterans segment I was joined by Barry Venable, Public Affairs Officer from the St. Cloud V.A. and Josh Goudge, Veteran Services Supervisor from the St. Cloud V.A. Barry says 70% of veterans enrolled at the St. Cloud V.A. have been vaccinated for Covid-19 including more than 90% of those 85 years of age and older.

St. Cloud State V.A. has administered more than 25,500 does of the Covid-19 vaccine to veterans, spouses of veterans and caregivers. I was joined today by Barry Venable (Public Affairs Officer), Jessica Behrends (Caregiver Support Program Manager) and Joy Finkelson (Military Sexual Trauma/Intimate Partner Violence Coordinator) at the St. Cloud V.A. on WJON's Voices for Veterans program.

St. Cloud V.A. Director of Pharmacy J.D. Anderson and St. Cloud V.A. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable joined me on WJON today for our Voices for Veteran segment. Anderson says the St. Cloud V.A. has vaccinated more than 9,000 people with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and that number includes health care workers and nearly 7,000 veterans.

Today on WJON I was joined by St. Cloud V.A. Director of Pharmacy J.D. Anderson and St. Cloud V.A. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable. Anderson says they began vaccinating health care workers at the St. Cloud V.A. and veterans in long-term care facilities around Christmas time.

This month on our Voices for Veterans segment I talked with St. Cloud V.A. Director Dr. Brent Thelen and St. Cloud V.A. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable Thelen says the St. Cloud V.A. is ready to vaccinate veterans when the vaccine is shipped to St. Cloud.

Today on WJON's Voices for Veterans segment I was joined by Barry Venable, Public Affairs Officer, from the St. Cloud V.A. and St. Cloud V.A. Care Giver Support Program Manager Jess Behrends. Jess explained the different levels of Care Giver support available for veterans which includes an adjustment in qualifications for people needing the highest level of care.

Today on WJON's monthly Voices for Veterans segment I talked with Chief of Beneficiary Travel, Gordon Giswold and Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable from the St. Cloud V.A. The V.A. is transitioning how beneficiary travel benefit payments are being handled. The change from doing this manually to online starts November 2.