Hastings
Luverne
Minneapolis
Silver Bay
St. Paul
MDVA is proud to announce that all our State of Minnesota licensed skilled nursing Homes located in Fergus Falls, Luverne, Minneapolis and Silver Bay received the prestigious Customer Experience Award™ from Pinnacle Quality Insight, a nationally recognized customer service firm. Our Homes satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15% of the nation across a 12-month average.
Residents and families from our Veterans Homes were interviewed over the course of 2021 on areas of cleanliness, activities, therapy, personalized care, communication and responding to Resident concerns. The results are compared to others in the industry and our Homes have been identified as “Best in Class.” “These customer experience responses represent the overall quality our Veterans Homes provide Residents by caring team members. MDVA is very proud of the level of care that is provided and appreciate the work of our employees that create such a positive Home to our Residents – this is truly an accomplishment!” – Paula Newinski, RN Quality Director, Minnesota Veterans Homes Healthcare.
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Here at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) we are thrilled to share our Minnesota Veterans Home Adult Day Center in Minneapolis recently received a “Stars Among Us Excellence in Practice Award” from LeadingAge Minnesota. This award recognizes staff for providing virtual and home-based activities for Veterans when our on-site Adult Day Center in Minneapolis was temporarily closed in early March of 2020 COVID-19 during the beginning of the pandemic.
 “Never underestimate human beings in a time of crisis,” said Simone Hogan, Senior Director for Healthcare at MDVA. “When our staff at the Veterans Home Adult Day Center learned about the temporary program closure due to COIVD-19 in March 2020, they knew our clients were at risk to decline cognitively and emotionally without the socialization and structure of their days at the Vet's club. Many clients have some form of dementia. So, our team invented ways to connect with clients and their caregivers by phone, iPad, computer, at home, using cars, and even an Alice in Wonderland themed garden walk-through event.”
Learn more about the Adult Day Center >>
Lethal Means Suicide Prevention Training is a free event presented by the Central MN Suicide Prevention Coalition.
The event begins at 10 a.m. March 12 at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud, with attending virtually as an option as well.
Learn about the intentional, voluntary practice to reduce suicide risk by limiting access to those means. Lethal Means are objects that can be used to inflict self-directed violence.
More information >>
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Mental Health First Aid for Veterans, Military Members and their Families teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to appropriate care.
Available class dates:
More Information >>
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There is currently an ongoing issue with the logistics chain that is affecting the time it takes to get products through the mail. This has also affected prescription refills.
Due to this issue, the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is advising:
Veterans, please order your prescription refills as soon as possible (at least two weeks before running out) to reduce the chances of being without. You can refill your prescriptions through the My HealthE-Vet website, or by calling the automated refill line 1-855-560-1721. If you have an urgent need please call 612-467-2090, press option #3.
The Minneapolis VA Health Care System Visitor Policy has been updated to allow one visitor per day.
Inpatient visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. All visitors must go through a COVID-19 screening before they enter the building and everyone must wear a mask when they are in the building.
Inpatients who don’t have COVID-19 and aren’t waiting on test results can have one visitor per day. Outpatients may be accompanied by one visitor.
Calling all Minnesotans: We need you to join the next generation of Minnesota health care workers. The State of Minnesota has set a new goal to recruit, train, and employ at least 1,000 new certified nursing assistants (CNAs) for Minnesota long-term care facilities experiencing staffing shortages. The five Minnesota Veterans Homes could benefit from this as all locations are hiring CNAs referred to as Human Services Technicians (HSTs) in Minnesota state government. Learn more about MDVA job openings at MinnesotaVeteran.org/Careers.
The effort is a partnership between state government, colleges and long-term care providers led by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. It will recruit qualified Minnesotans and enroll them in certification courses at Minnesota State campuses.
More information >>
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The VA Caregiver Support Program, Building Better Caregivers®, offers a free, 6-week online workshop providing an opportunity for caregivers to reduce stress, improve communication and connect with other caregivers.
This group-support workshop is perfect for caregivers of Veterans with dementia, memory problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, serious brain injury or any other serious injury or illness. The free workshop was developed by experts from Stanford University and supports caregivers of Veterans of all eras who share similar challenges.
More information >>
The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) has been awarded the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) Minnesota Veterans Entering Stable Tenancy (MNVEST) Subsidy program.
MNVEST provides a rental subsidy and clinically supervised case management services to Veteran households experiencing homelessness. The MNVEST Program Manager will provide clinical leadership within the organization, providing support to MNVEST case management staff, and supervise Healthcare Navigation functions within the agency.
The MNVEST Program Manager will develop, improve, and coordinate the newly launching program to ensure the service is maximized for Veterans experiencing homelessness. These duties shall contribute to the MACV mission to End Veteran Homelessness in Minnesota, and to do so in ways that aspire to programmatic and administrative excellence.
More information >>
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President Biden recently announced the extension of the COVID-19 related pause on federal student loan repayment. The extension of the pause is for an additional 90 days — the end date of the pause is now May 1, 2022.
President Biden also encouraged student loan borrowers to take advantage of the Department of Education’s resources to help them prepare for payments to resume, look at options to lower their payments through income-based repayment plans, explore public service loan forgiveness, and make sure they are vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
View press release >>
Sadly, an average of 100 Minnesota Veterans die by suicide each year. Two-thirds of these deaths are by guns.
To help prevent Veteran suicide MDVA is partnering with the VA Healthcare System to distribute free gun locks. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a locked gun can mean the difference between a tragic outcome and a life saved for someone in crisis. Though Veterans are well-versed in firearm safety, all gun owners should understand that during emotional or stressful times, delaying access to a gun could mean the difference between life and death. Gun locks can prevent someone in crisis from tragically taking their own life.
In an effort to reduce these preventable tragedies, MDVA is offering free gun locks. To request a gun lock, please email MDVA.Communications@state.mn.us with your name and address. This information will not be shared; requests are confidential.
Thank you for supporting the efforts of MDVA and the “Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.” For more information on MDVA’s suicide prevention efforts, visit MinnesotaVeteran.org/EndVetSuicide.
We can see the end of this pandemic, but we are not quite there yet. We will take concrete steps to keep Minnesotans safe while we get the vaccine to even more people.
The latest COVID-19 updates from the Governor's office are available at mn.gov/covid19.
MDVA's latest COVID-19 updates can be found at MinnesotaVeteran.org/COVID.
All Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and clinics that administer COVID-19 vaccines are accepting walk-ins for eligible Veterans, spouses and caregivers.
This walk-in service ensures all Veterans enrolled in VA health care and those authorized under the SAVE LIVES Act have an opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from VA at a time convenient for them.
The urgency to vaccinate as many eligible individuals as quickly as possible remains a top priority for VA.
“VA encourages those who wish to get their COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment to check the walk-in hours and requirements at their local facility,” said Acting VA Under Secretary for Health Richard Stone, M.D. “Individuals taking advantage of walk-in vaccinations may need to wait for the vaccine to be prepared and will be screened when entering the facility.”
To date, VA has vaccinated more than 2.7 million individuals, including over 60,000 individuals under the SAVE LIVES Act. For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations at VA, click here.
VA vaccination clinics are not open 24 hours. Face masks are mandatory for all and physical distancing measures will be in place.
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