VA Stories of Note: Feb. 1 – Feb. 7

National Press Club (Video), Feb. 5: NPC Newsmaker: Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie

Fifty-minute video: Following President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union Address, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie spoke at a National Press Club Newsmaker on February 5 to discuss the Trump Administration’s plan to prevent veteran suicide, and outlined how the VA will implement the kinds of sweeping organizational changes needed to optimize new technologies and innovations and provide veterans with modern services.

FOX News (Video), Feb. 4: Single-payer healthcare would destroy fundamental benefits for VA: Robert Wilkie

Four-minute video: U.S. Secretary of Veteran's Affairs Robert Wilkie says a single-payer healthcare plan could hurt the Veterans Affairs system.

Health Data Management (Chicago, Ill.), Feb. 5: Wilkie: VA will soon have the world’s first 5G-enabled hospital

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Palo Alto Health Care System is on the verge of becoming the world’s first 5G-enabled hospital. “President Trump last year challenged America to be the first 5G wireless service, and VA met that challenge,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie on Wednesday during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. “As I speak, our hospital in Palo Alto is about to become the first 5G-enabled health facility in the world.”

WJHL (CBS-11, Video) (Johnson City, Tenn.), Feb. 5: Sending Valentine’s love to our veterans

Five-minute video: Mike Kromoff with the Mountain Home VA Medical Center tells Amy about their National Salute to Veterans Week. They are collecting Valentine’s Day cards to distribute to veterans next week.

KELO (CBS-11, Video) (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Feb. 4: Sioux Falls VA Medical Center hosting Veteran art show Wednesday

More than two dozen pieces of art will be on display Wednesday for a special Veterans art show at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center. The competition will take place in the recently renovated chapel. The $1.4 million facelift shows a commitment to creating spaces for Veterans to share their stories. Navy Veteran Spencer Pitts submitted a model car for the show. Chief of Chaplain Service Rochelle Binion says art gets Veterans moving and talking and that can lead to healing.

Government Matters (Video), Feb. 2: Working with DoD for better medical tool acquisition

Karen Brazell, chief acquisition officer at VA, and COL Andrew Centineo (USA ret.), executive director of the Office of Procurement and Logistics at VHA discuss how the Department of Veterans Affairs is teaming up with the Pentagon to acquire medical tools and improve veteran care.

Temple Daily Telegram, (Temple, Texas), Feb. 2: Video program aids veterans in health care

Veterans who live in rural areas have experienced difficulty over the years in getting medical treatment that’s convenient. The VA Video Connect program addresses that issue by enabling the health care provider and veteran to meet face-to-face by way of a smart phone, computer or tablet.

Salisbury Post (Salisbury, N.C.), Feb. 2: YMCA’s land donation adds more than 30 acres to Salisbury National Cemetery

For years, the Salisbury National Cemetery has been the only one of its kind in North Carolina accepting new interments, and that fact will be true for decades to come following a land transaction last month.

KMOV (CBS-4, Video) (St. Louis, Mo.), Feb. 1: Veterans Affairs employees try new health care methods aimed to treat both the mind and body

Employees at the Veterans Affairs got to try a new approach to healthcare on Saturday. Acupuncture, Tai Chi, hypnosis and other methods were part of the VA Employee Whole Health Wellness Retreat.