Tag Archive for: Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Collaboration Across Minnesota

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Collaboration Across Minnesota

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we explore how collaboration strengthens Veteran suicide prevention across Minnesota and how the Veteran Suicide Mortality Review brings partners together to find opportunities for action. The conversation marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Minnesota’s first state Veterans suicide prevention strategy.

Guests:

During the show, MACVSO and MDVA talk about why Veteran suicide prevention is shared work — County Veteran Service Officers, the federal VA, Veteran service organizations, the Minnesota National Guard, the Minnesota Department of Health, community partners, and families. Listeners will hear how that collaboration looks in rural communities, what still keeps some Veterans from asking for help, and why a trusted person willing to ask a direct question can change the path forward.

In the second half, MDVA, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minneapolis VA Health Care System explain the Veteran Suicide Mortality Review: a structured look at systems and circumstances around a death, not a search for blame. The goal is to spot missed connections and strengthen prevention for other Veterans and families.

If you or a Veteran you know needs support, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, contact a County Veteran Service Officer, or start with LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet (1-888-546-5838) or LinkVet.org.

Next week we learn how the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs SOAR program connects Veterans and people experiencing homelessness with essential benefits and services.

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VA Vet Centers and the Debt Management Center

VA Vet Centers and the Debt Management Center

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we start with a flu shot reminder from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, then explore two Department of Veterans Affairs resources Veterans and families may not know well: Vet Centers and the VA Debt Management Center.

Guests:

During the show, the Minneapolis VA Health Care System encourages Veterans to get a flu shot at a regular appointment or walk in from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, October 29, and November 5 at the medical center and all community based outpatient clinics. The Director also introduces the Twin Cities Vet Center after its recent ribbon cutting in Eagan.

We also take a closer look at Vet Centers. Established in 1979 by Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans, they remain community-based clinics focused on connection, community, and camaraderie. Minnesota has three: Duluth, Anoka with a Saint Cloud outstation, and the Twin Cities Vet Center now in its permanent home at 2113 Cliff Drive, Suite 100, Eagan. Eligibility includes combat or deployment, support of combat missions, military sexual trauma, current use of VA education benefits, and current Reserve or National Guard members whose mental health is affecting duty. Once eligible, a Veteran remains eligible. Services include individual, group, couples, and family counseling, plus referrals and community activities. Call the local center, visit vetcenter.va.gov, or reach the 24/7 line at 1-877-WAR-VETS (1-877-927-8387). Twin Cities appointments: 612-243-7920.

The VA Debt Management Center works with Veterans, beneficiaries, caregivers, and family members when a change in compensation, pension, or education benefits results in money owed back to VA. The Center does not create the debt; it collects and manages the balance after VA has already established the overpayment. Common causes include a change in dependency, National Guard or Reserve pay that overlaps with VA compensation for the same days, or a dependent later using education benefits. Official notice comes by mail, and Veterans signed up for electronic notices can also see a debt on VA.gov. Unexpected callers asking for a credit card are not the Debt Management Center. Options include payment in full, a payment plan, an adjusted offset, or a hardship waiver. The fastest step after a letter arrives is to call or use Ask VA. Review balances at va.gov/manage-va-debt. Staff also refer callers in hardship to nearby Vet Centers and other community partners.

Next week we observe Suicide Prevention Month with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and learn about the steps the agency is taking to help prevent Veteran suicide.

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Ribbon Cutting for the New Minneapolis VA Women’s Clinic

Ribbon Cutting for the New Minneapolis VA Women’s Clinic

This week, MMR was on the road for the Official Ribbon Cutting of the new Minneapolis VA Medical Center Women’s Clinic Friday, Jul. 24.

The clinic meets the unique needs of the approximately 10,000 women Veterans they serve. The Women’s Clinic, a comprehensive health center brings together primary care, gynecology, mental health, physical therapy, pharmacy, social work, dietician, and navigation services in a dedicated space, improving coordination and convenience of care.

The clinic was designed specifically for women Veterans, using patient-centered design to promote a positive, comfortable experience. The space also includes a lactation room, group therapy room, and state-of-the-art procedure rooms equipped with cutting-edge technology for gynecology services — creating a modern, private, and supportive experience. The new clinic will have its own exterior entrance and will double the on-site space dedicated to women Veterans.

Guests include: 

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Pharmacy Innovations and Amputation Prevention at the Minneapolis VA

 

Pharmacy Innovations & Amputation Prevention at the Minneapolis VA

In this episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we explore two critical advancements in Veteran healthcare at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System: a major shift toward digital pharmacy services and a proactive approach to limb preservation.

Guests Include:

Part 1: The Move to Paperless Pharmacy

Chief of Pharmacy Dr. Lisa Anderson and Program Manager Stephanie Walek discuss the new transition to digital prescription information.

  • What’s Changing: Starting in early 2026, the Minneapolis VA is replacing bulky paper inserts with QR codes on prescription labels.

  • Why It Matters: This initiative reduces waste (saving over 34,000 sheets of paper annually) and provides Veterans with 24/7 access to instructional videos and medication guides via their smartphones.

  • Veteran Choice: Paper copies remain available upon request for those who prefer them.

Part 2: Programs focused on limb preservation.

Dr. Wei Li, the new Chief of Vascular Surgery, introduces us to two Nurse Practitioners Dawn Strief and Shanon Harper who share information about life-changing initiatives that use tele-health and focus on limb preservation.

  • PAVE: Prevention of Amputation in Veterans
  • FIRM: Follow –up Initiative for the Recovery, Retention and Management of Patients
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Minneapolis VA Patient Advocacy Team

Minneapolis VA Patient Advocate Team

This week, we meet members of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System’s Patient Advocate Team and learn that the Patient Advocacy Program is for all Veterans and their families who receive care at VA health care facilities. What can the patient advocate do? What are their limitations? And what do patients bring into the relationship when it comes to resolving an issue they may have in the country’s largest health care system. Guests include:

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