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Director's Update
The humidity has left and football season has started, which means it’s officially fall!
We received amazing news and, if you haven’t heard, or even if you have, I’m proud to share it. The William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital received the Veterans Health Administration Overall Best Experience Award at this year’s VA Customer Experience Symposium in Washington, D.C. This award is the highest such distinction for VA hospitals in the nation, which means we ranked #1 among the 171 VA medical centers.
I couldn’t be more proud of our team members. They maintained a Veteran-centric focus during one of the most difficult times in our history.
For this award, VA facilities were evaluated based on a comprehensive review of inpatient experience, employee experience, All Employee Survey results, and customer trust scores.
For that reason, I want to thank you, our Veterans, who we are so proud to serve. We appreciate the time you took to recognize our efforts and share your feedback so that we can ensure you the best possible experience.
I hope you are as proud of our staff as I am. I know, for them, the true reward comes from the outstanding care they provide for our Veterans.
Thank you.
- John Rohrer, Hospital Director
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 Beaming Up Cancer
After an amazing ribbon cutting ceremony with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, radiation treatments are underway in the William S. Middleton Memorial VA Cancer Center. Over 30 Veterans have been treated using a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator – a state of the art treatment delivery system that delivers a precise radiation dose to targets with an on-board cone beam CT image guidance along with respiratory motion management.
At our opening, we were the 41st VA to offer this integral part of cancer care. Now veterans can continue their care at the same site as their surgical oncology and medical oncology service.
The Cancer Center offers cutting edge technology that includes stereotactic body radiotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy. These highly accurate treatment types deliver small beamlets of radiation to maximize the tumor coverage while minimizing radiation to healthy tissue.
Patient treatment designs are personalized to their unique anatomy by using a new Siemens CT scanner, which can acquire 4D images during the breathing cycle to better enable our clinicians to account for breathing motion when treating lung and abdominal targets.
“Our team of nurses, MDs, administration, radiation therapist, dosimetrist and medical physicist are ready to serve our veterans," said Chief Radiation Oncologist Dr. Jessica Schuster, "by providing precision radiation therapy an essential component of compressive cancer care here at the Madison VA.”
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Hats Off to a Great Idea
In this time of genius marketing wizards trying to capitalize on every square inch to attract eyeballs, Madison VA’s Geoff Mongiat may have brought a prideful tear to their eyes.
Mongiat, Madison’s My HealtheVet coordinator, had to think outside the box to help educate patients about his program. With the motto, “My Health, My Care: 24/7 Online Access to the VA,” it is designed for patients to use it at their convenience to refill prescriptions, view upcoming appointments, check health records, and send secure messages to providers.
“When you think about advertising on an electronic billboard, flyers, or other stationary items, so much has to go right for those to be successful,” Mongiat shared. “Even if people happen to notice the ad, they still need to retain the information and act on it. We want to make certain every single patient understands the importance of My HealtheVet and how easy it makes refilling medications or accessing health records. At the end of the day, serving our patients is our top priority.”
Guidelines are lengthy and detailed on how to promote the My HealtheVet program, but it doesn’t limit creativity, and that’s what Mongiat monopolized on. Mongiat reached out to the local engineering team that he noticed wearing hats all day, every day, and thought it made for an opportunity to help spread the word about the program.
Troy Olson, maintenance mechanic work leader, was open to the suggestion and implemented the new hat design. “It has been received well,” Olson said. “Several patients have been intrigued to know that My HealtheVet offers online access to their medical information.”
“I am not asking them to explain the intricacies of My HealtheVet,” Mongiat said. “If our employees are asked about their hat, they can easily explain that it’s an online resource and patients can receive more information in the Patient Education Resource Center (PERC).”
To access or create your My HealtheVet account, visit www.myhealth.va.gov. For specific questions about the My HealtheVet program, contact Mr. Geoff Mongiat at 608-280-7173 or email geoffrey.mongiat@va.gov.
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Shots for Everyone
The Madison VA Hospital and Outpatient Clinics are offering updated Moderna Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines to Veterans, employees, spouses of Veterans, caregivers, and CHAMPVA recipients that have completed a primary COVID-19 vaccine series or had their last booster at least two months ago. It is available to those 18 years and older.
The new Bivalent booster is also available outside VA facilities. Find participating locations at www.vaccines.gov/search/
Our facilities continue to offer free Moderna, Novavax, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines for unvaccinated individuals. The VA also provides free COVID-19 testing to eligible Veterans.
For more information about updated boosters, visit the CDC website or call 608-280-2160 to schedule an appointment.
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Next up? Flu vaccines
With the flu season fast approaching, the CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important action to protect against flu and its potentially serious complications. We now have flu vaccines available at our Main Hospital and all of our clinic locations.
If you have an appointment coming up at the VA, you can ask about getting vaccinated at that time. We have walk up flu vaccines available for Veterans inside the CLC/Chapel Entrance of the Main Hospital (please continue to enter the building through the main entrance). Flu Vaccines at all other locations are by appointment.
Please call the local clinic to get scheduled.
Beaver Dam: 920-356-9415
Baraboo: 608-356-9318
West Annex: 608-284-6360
Freeport: 815-235-4881
Janesville: 608-758-9300
Rockford: 815-227-0081
Central/Main Hospital: 608-280-2160 / Walk-Ins
We encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as it is available to you.
If you are unable to get to a VA Location and have received care through either VA or a Community Care Provider within the past 24 months you are also eligible to get a flu vaccine at an in-network pharmacy. For more information or to find an in-network pharmacy, please visit: Flu Shots - Community Care (va.gov)
We look forward to serving you as we work together to have a safe and healthy flu season.
Dementia-Friendly and Caregiver-Friendly VA Care
Join us on November 2 – at Madison VA and on Facebook!
November marks the five-year anniversary of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital being recognized as the first VA in the country to achieve “Dementia Friendly Hospital” status. November is also National Caregiver Month.
To celebrate both, we invite Veterans, families, and staff to learn more about caregiver support, dementia care and aging services, and much more Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon in the main lobby of the Madison VA.
From 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium, we will host a presentation and roundtable discussion with three distinguished guest speakers:
Joy Schmidt-Quincey
Dementia Crisis Program Specialist at Dane County Aging and Disability Resource Center
Bonnie Nuttkinson
Outreach Specialist at Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Ellen Wanninger
Dementia Care Coordinator at Madison VA Hospital
Additionally, VA staff will be available to answer questions. Be sure to wear purple to show your support of Alzheimer’s awareness!
*The presentation is restricted to the first 50 in-person attendees and will be available online at www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital.
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