Facility Events
Facility Events
VA Butler Healthcare is working with partners to help justice-involved Veterans through Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC).
Butler County's VTC celebrated the graduation of five Veterans in August and its three-year anniversary in November. A total of eight Veterans have now graduated from Butler's program.
Mercer County's VTC completed its first year of operation in 2015, and is preparing for a graduation in early 2016. Lawrence County's VTC is projected to begin in 2017.
Coatesville VA Medical Center held its 19th Annual Caregiver Support Conference on November 13, 2015, during National Family Caregivers Month. Approximately 75 family caregivers attended for support, to network and to learn about self-care. Experts presented interactive sessions on mindfulness as a tool, strategies for managing dementia behaviors, and post-traumatic stress disorder and domestic abuse.
Coatesville VA Medical Center held its annual Community Homeless Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups or CHALENG meeting on September 2015. The meeting focused on the progress that has been made throughout Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties toward ending homelessness among Veterans.
Local partnerships are at the heart of the effort – the Department of Housing and Urban Development local housing authorities, municipalities throughout the counties, Chester County Department of Community Development, Montgomery County Department of Veterans Affairs, Delaware County Department of Human Services, the Veterans Multi-Service Center, the Fresh Start Foundation, Catholic Social Services and many other valued partners have worked with the medical center to set the path to an effective end.
Erie VA Medical Center hosted the annual Welcome Home Veterans Appreciation Event at the Erie Zoo with more than 850 Veterans and their families in attendance.
VA program representatives and other Veteran-related service organizations were on-site throughout the evening to meet with Veterans and provide them with information about VA services and other Veteran-related community resources. This event offered a one-stop shop to connect Veterans with a number of VA and community resources and was Erie's largest Welcome Home event yet!
Thanks to Lebanon VA employee, Wendy Trafelet, registered nurse and nurse manager, domiciliary residents there enjoyed a July afternoon ice cream party. Ms. Trafelet's husband won 200 servings of ice cream in a contest, and he and his wife wanted to donate it to Lebanon's Veterans.
On May 2, 2015, the Philadelphia VA Medical Center held a ceremony to celebrate the renaming of the facility as the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The event was attended by more than 700 people including Cpl. Crescenz's commanding officer, members of his unit, his family, elected officials, Veterans and members of the community.
The name change was the result of legislation signed into law by President Obama that recognized the only Philadelphian who served in the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor.