#Middlebury #Veterans
Afraid to go into a doctor’s office right now because of COVID? You’re not the only one. Or maybe the nearest facility is far away, or transportation is a problem. The Department of Veterans Affairs knows this and is stepping up efforts to keep us connected to our health care team.
The VA has reopened five telehealth access points that had been closed down since April due to the COVID outbreak. The Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) sites are part of a program to bring health care to veterans in rural areas or places without good internet access, the Anywhere to Anywhere initiative. ATLAS offers services that don’t require hands-on exams: social work, nutrition, clinical pharmacy, primary care, mental-health counseling and more.
The locations now reopened are at Walmarts in Keokuk, Iowa; Howell, Michigan; Asheboro, North Carolina; Boone, North Carolina and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In addition to Walmarts, the VA has collaborated with Philips North America (think: small appliances such as razors and soup makers), the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. What these locations offer is a private room and encrypted video broadband connection access for meeting with VA providers, two very valuable services. The VA had over 294,000 video appointments last year.
When you go to an appointment at one of those locations, an attendant will check you in and help solve any video technical issues, and then leave. They’re not VA employees, but they are trained to get you hooked up.
To learn more about ATLAS and see the full list of locations, go online to VA’s Office of Connected Care at connectedcare.va.gov/partners/atlas. You’ll find the town and state, address, telephone, hours of appointments and the associated medical center. There’s also a list of future locations.
If you’re not able to stay at home for a health care video conference, these ATLAS sites are the next best thing.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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