Mars VFW program first in the nation
ADAMS TWP — Robert Cartwright typically goes to the Mars VFW Post 7505 on Mondays and Fridays, but likely will change his schedule to Tuesdays and Fridays.
Cartwright, an Army veteran living in Valencia, attended a ceremony Tuesday, June 20, commemorating the opening of a mobile adult day health care program at the Mars VFW — the first to open in the nation since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“It’s a good thing,” Cartwright said of the program.
Steven Handler, associate chief of staff of geriatrics and extended care for VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, said the agency wanted to bring a resource program to a more rural area such as Mars in the name of convenience for veterans.
“The challenge of that urban location is some people who don’t live in those areas, they find it hard to get there by car — they may not have the transportation,” said Handler, who also is medical director of adult day health care programs for the VA. “In this world where convenience is really important, this is another opportunity for that.”
While there are virtual programs and other resources available in bulk for veterans in places such as Pittsburgh, officials with the VA said it is important for military personnel to find a community they can connect with close to them, especially as they age.
Kari Zana, nurse manager for geriatrics and extended care for the VA, said there will be staff on-site weekly to bring not only care to veterans, but also social engagement.
“Every Tuesday, we’ll be here. We’ll start at about 8:30 in the morning and go until 3 in the afternoon,” Zana said. “It will be a program with recreation and activities for them. We can possibly be outside in the afternoon or mornings; we could be grilling, doing arts and crafts, virtual reality.”
About a dozen veterans attended the ribbon-cutting. Following speeches by VA officials, those in attendance could check out some services the VA plans to offer through the mobile care sessions.
Russell Christiana, commander of VFW Post 7505, said he was happy when the VA approached the post to introduce the program, because it could be a valuable resource to veterans in the area.
“We’re hoping for good things as far as more people showing up,” Christiana said. “We want everybody to understand what this is about and how it could help them.”
Jeston Robinson, interim assistant director of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, said the VA overall is in transition coming out of the pandemic, trying to reintroduce in-person programs around the nation.
“A lot of our services were virtual, and now we’re transitioning because the veterans want to come. They want to be outside; they want to see each other,” Robinson said. “That’s very important, that face-to-face, that contact. That’s what we’re trying to work on right now.”
Handler said the opening of the mobile adult day health care program likely will be the first of several across the country. If successful, VA agencies in other cities and states could use the Mars VFW post’s model as a template for their own programs.
“This is the first mobile veteran program to reopen since the pandemic, so it means a great deal not only to our organization but the VA across the whole country,” Handler said. “We want to be a model for others to do the same kind of thing in their local communities with veterans service organizations.”
