Kansas City VA Medical Center

Protect yourself from scams. Remember, we’ll never ask you for your personal information in an email. We’ll also never include links that take you to a non-secure page that asks you to provide this information. If someone calls you about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, be sure to verify that they’re your VA provider. For more tips on how to avoid COVID-19 scams, go to the Federal Communications website. https://www.fcc.gov/covid-scams

Nikki and Sara ready their vaccination stations for the next patients about to receive the #covidvaccine. #KCVA #KCMO #frontlineworkers #veterans

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has extended the RideKC Veterans Pass program through Dec. 31, 2023. Area Veterans who possess an expiring Veterans Pass or have valid proof of service, like a DD-214, are eligible for the free-ride program. The original Veterans Transit Passes, distributed by the Veteran’s Community Project (VCP) starting in 2017, are set to expire Dec. 31, 2020. Any Veteran possessing one of these passes or a Veteran with valid proof of service, like a DD-214 or VA identification, can request a new RideKC Veterans Pass card which will be valid until Dec. 31, 2023. For more information or to obtain a Veterans Pass, please contact VCP at 816-599-6500 or via email at [email protected] RideKC Veterans Community Project

VISN 15 Network Director Dr. William Patterson shares why it is important to get a COVID-19 vaccine while he recieves his Moderna #COVIDVaccine at Kansas City VA Medical Center

And what happened then? Well, at #KCVA in #KCMO, they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day | The Grinch (aka Nurse Practitioner Willie Payne) prepares to receive the #covidvaccine today. #TheGrinch #kcvastrong

Join us for this discussion by Veteran Peer Support Specialists from the Kansas City VA Medical Center as they share helpful ideas on how to manage the holiday season for Veterans with the increased stress and changes due to Covid 19. Veteran Peer Support Specialists are Veterans with the lived experience of military service and recovery in mental health . Veteran Peer Support Specialists are instrumental in removing barriers to care. Speakers:...Continue reading

Vanessa, an RN from our Excelsior Springs CBOC, waits for her next patient, while George from KCVA Safety is about to receive the #covidvaccine. #kcva #frontlineworkers #heroeshelpingheroes

Dear Veterans, The Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVA) received an initial shipment of 1,700 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 22, 2020. We immediately began VA Health Care staff vaccinations and started contacting Veterans via an automated calling system to schedule Veteran vaccinations starting Dec. 26, 2020. All vaccinations are done by appointment only please do not visit KCVA facilities looking to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The initial distribution of the... COVID-19 vaccine was limited and is being used to vaccinate our front-line health care workers and those Veterans over the age of 85 with the highest risk of getting or spreading the coronavirus or becoming severely ill from COVID-19. Veterans receiving the initial shipment vaccinations have certain health issues, like those receiving chemotherapy, dialysis, or organ transplant patients, which elevates them to the highest risk category. Vaccinating our VA staff helps us continue to provide care for Veterans. Over time, as more vaccine doses become available, we will expand the COVID-19 vaccine to more Veterans based on the VA’s priority groups, which are based on CDC guidelines. If you have not received an automated call asking you if you would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, please be patient. We will be receiving more vaccine supply in the coming weeks and months. If you are identified as a high-risk Veteran based on age or health conditions, you will receive an automated call with instructions for scheduling your COVID-19 vaccination. Please take advantage of the opportunity to request an appointment when you receive that call. Also, please remember that the COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose vaccine. The second dose must be administered 21-28 days after the first. The scheduler will make sure you are available for both appointments when making the initial vaccine appointment. Thank you for choosing KCVA for your medical care. We look forward to providing all Kansas City area Veterans the best healthcare available in 2021.

Happy Veterans Day! KCVA tributes to Veterans Day concludes with this video of evening colors. Thanks for tuning in to all of the KCVA tributes. We appreciate each and every one of our American Heroes and their families for their dedication and sacrifice to our country. https://bddy.me/35mR9Bx

The Kansas City VA Medical Center continued it's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic today, vaccinating our American Heroes. In total, 198 Veterans are scheduled to receive their #covidvacccine at KCVA today, with another 198 scheduled for tomorrow. #COVIDVaccine #heroeshelpingheroes #kcvastrong #Veterans

Dr. Goudreau, Associate Director of Patient Care Services, and Deann from KCVA Sleep Lab receiving #covidvaccine. #KCVA #heroeshelpingheroes #frontlineworkers

Congratulations to this month’s Service Pin/Staff Award recipients! EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Barbara Carter (RNCM)... ICARE AWARD Melanie Mclaughlin (LPN) SERVICE PIN AWARDS 40-Year Jim Hewins Robert Moreno 35-Year Valerie Mcclaran Eric Fitzhugh 30-Year David A. Crawford William Duran 25-Year Garron M, Reeves Carolyn Broadway James Williams 20-Year Johnnie C. Ortiz Sherrie Boyd Carolyn Broadway Linda H. Sadlon Bruce Crawford Tina W. Jackson Matthew Caldwell 15-Year Wendy J. Massie Jessica N. Elrod Perry Womack George Leonard Lollis Alicia M Hackett David Michael Robles Vivian Nwahiri-Chimezie James Baptiste Tina W. Jackson 10-Year Jessica N. Elrod Andrea Hill Keri Anne Faust Kelly Flanders James Quinton Moore Jonathan Ross Akers Tracina E. Renaud Timothy Pontalion Richard D. Page-Bey Bakul Vinodrai Sangani Zakiyyah Antoinette Stover Donna Jean Carmon Thelma V Agustin Bradley Grant Macoubrie Charlotte Marie Mccloskey Shelley A Barney Ashlie Nicole Colston Cecilia A Hewitt Stephanie L Carr Katherine A Breaux Stephen N Blatt Jodi L Hindman Eddie D. Donahou Sabrina E Wilson Kelli Oden Evelyn Higby Michael A. Peters Samantha L. Hance Congratulations to every one of you, and thank you for your service!

Happy Veterans Day! Watch this KCVA Tribute to Veterans Day, where each service's hymn plays to operational footage of each service in action. Stay Tuned to KCVA social media for more Veterans Day tributes. https://bddy.me/3naz7Z2

KCVA applauds the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) on the three-year anniversary of the RideKC Veterans Pass program. More than 3.200 Veterans have been riding KCATA buses free of charge for the last three years. That’s over 3.8 million rides! KCATA recently announced an extension of the program through Dec. 31, 2023. Veterans possessing an expiring Veterans Pass or valid proof of service, like a DD-214 or VA identification, can request a new pass by contacting the Veteran’s Community Project at 816-599-6500 or via email at [email protected] RideKC Veterans Community Project

Our Chief of Pharmacy, Dr. Mears, preps early morning #covidvaccines and Tijuana, Employee Health LPN, waits on her first patient this morning. We are so proud of the work our KCVA Team has put in this week! #kcva #heroeshelpingheroes #frontlineworkers

Happy Veterans Day! Watch Kansas City VA Medical Center Director and Marine Corps Veteran David Isaacks deliver comments in his tribute to Veterans Day as part of KCVA tribute to Veterans Day. Stay tuned to KCVA social media for more tributes to Veterans on this Veterans Day. https://bddy.me/3knqqci

Happy Veterans Day! Each day on every U.S. Military installation throughout the world Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen hoist morning colors. Morning colors is the ceremonial hoisting of the national ensign at 0800. Colors was first initiated by the Royal Navy following the 1797 mutinies in the British fleet. The U.S. Navy adopted this practice and made it part of the Rules and Regulations in 1843. Initially, morning colors was based on the time of sunset; if the sun set before 1800, then morning colors took place at 0800, otherwise at 0900. The modern practice of making morning colors at 0800 was set by regulation in 1870. https://youtu.be/Y1pHgjqhsX0 Stay tuned to KCVA social media throughout the day for more Veterans Day tributes!

Please read the COVID-19 vaccine planning frequently asked questions for Veterans. It covers: General information COVID-19 planning process Vaccine approval/authorization process Who will get the vaccine... Getting vaccinated Safety Education Vaccine data sharing Clinical trials Click here: https://bddy.me/373jptu

@VAKansasCity Director David Isaacks presents a coin to 102-Year-Old WWII Veteran Mr. Melvin Rehkop, the first local Veteran to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at KCVA. This morning we celebrated a significant milestone in the battle against COVID-19 by administering our first #COVIDVaccine to this Veteran.

KCVA celebrated the 245th anniversary of the formation of the U.S. Marine Corps today by inviting a few Marine Corps Veteran employees to sing the Marine Corps hymn followed by a cake cutting.

KCATA’s Veteran Free Ride Program Continues Kansas City, MO - Dec. 8, 2020 The Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (KCVA) applauds the continuation of Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s (KCATA) Ride KC Veterans Pass program. For the past three years, KCATA generously provided Veterans Transit Passes (VTP) to any Veteran possessing a valid form of Veteran identification. This program has enabled thousands of Kansas City area Veterans the opportunity to ove...rcome transportation challenges. According to David Isaacks, KCVA Medical Center Director, this program also helps improve healthcare access. We have many area Veterans who struggle to find reliable transportation to and from medical appointments, Isaacks said. The Veterans Pass has provided an invaluable safety net for these Veterans and the ridership numbers backup this fact. The main KCVA hospital campus on Linwood Avenue is serviced by the 35th street bus route, which is in the top 10 bus routes for Veterans Pass usage. To date, more than 3,200 local Veterans have taken advantage of the free ride program. These Veterans have ridden KCATA buses over 3.8 million times over the last three plus years. We are extremely thankful and grateful to KCATA, the Veteran’s Community Project and the sponsors of this tremendous program that helps so many KC area Veterans, said Isaacks. Having the ability to ride KC buses free of charge enable the Veterans we serve to keep scheduled, routine and time-sensitive medical appointment. This improves healthcare outcomes and improves the health and wellbeing of America’s Heroes. Editor’s Note: The original Veterans Transit Passes, distributed by the Veteran’s Community Project (VCP) starting in 2017, are set to expire Dec. 31, 2020. Any Veteran possessing one of these passes or a Veteran with valid proof of service, like a DD-214, can request a new Ride KC Veterans Pass card which will be valid until Dec. 31, 2023. For more information or to obtain a Veterans Pass, please contact VCP at 816-599-6500 or via email at [email protected] https://www.kcata.org/ RideKC Veterans Community Project

Happy Birthday Leathernecks. Semper Fi! The United States Marine Corps was established on November 10, 1775, to augment naval forces in the Revolutionary War. The recruiting headquarters was set up by Capt. Samuel Nicholas in the Tun Tavern on Water Street in Philadelphia, which is considered the birthplace of the Marines. After success in many campaigns, the Corps was abolished at the close of the Revolutionary War for reasons of economy. On July 11, 1798, Congress ordered t...he creation of the Corps, named it the United States Marine Corps and directed that it be available for service under the Secretary of the Navy. The Corps celebrated its birthday, or Marine Corps Day, on July 11 from 1799 until 1921 when the date was permanently changed to November 10 to commemorate the establishment of the Corps to aid in the Revolutionary War. The term "leatherneck" was derived from a leather stock once worn around the neck by Marines. Beginning in 1798, "one stock of black leather and clasp" was issued to each Marine every year. While the stock is understood to have been worn only for posture, legend tells that it was worn to protect the neck from sword cuts, such as cutlass slashes while boarding ships.

There will be a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter flyover from the 1-108th Aviation Regiment out of Topeka, Kansas on Veterans Day. They will kick off the event at 11:00 in Overland Park and be at 500ft for all waypoints, moving slowly. They should be in the vicinity of KCVA at 11:13 a.m. This should be a great show, so if you're in or around the flight path starting at 11 a.m. keep your eyes to the sky and enjoy this special tribute for Veterans Day.

Please see below an important message from KCVA Medical Center Director David Isaacks regarding the fight against COVID-19 and the updated KCVA visitor policy. Thank You!

November 2 - 6 is prosthetics week. The national theme is "PSAS: So Much More than Prosthetic Limbs, Breakthrough to Excellence in Performance, Service, and Satisfaction." Below is a video highlighting some of KCVA's Prosthetics services. https://bddy.me/2IfvWAs

Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 15 is now streaming Podcasts for Women Veterans. This is a joint venture between all of VISN 15 facilities. Listen to VA Benefits and Pregnancy from Focus on Women Veterans, Healthcare for Sheroes Podcasts here: https://bddy.me/3n0t35y

Mini Stand down event NOV 11 705 Virginia Ave. KCMO... Free items available to those in need: Cold Weather Gear Hair Cuts Flu Shots Hygiene Kits Hot Meal Services available to those in need: Connection to housing Veteran Benefits Officers Case Management Courtesy of: Restart, Catholic Charities, OBR, VFW, After Action Network, Vet Center and Heart to Heart Int.

Judie Howell has crocheted thousands of hearts for our patients over the last few years. The hearts will be presented to patients for Veterans Day. She was excited to report that her next donation will be for National Salute to Veterans in February 2021. Thanks for all your hard work, Judie!