VA ECHCS News and Stories
Black History Month at VA
Each February, VA ECHCS joins the entire country in celebrating Black History Month. During this month, we celebrate all Black Americans, Black VA colleagues, and the Black Veterans who have served and sacrificed for this nation in every conflict since the American revolution.
The America of today would not be possible without the valor of yesterday’s men and women in uniform. By their service and sacrifice, they fueled the great engines of change that brought about greater American equality to all communities. Those who fought for liberty, and against injustice, are the heritage of Black men and women in uniform. We come together today in common commitment to those sacred ideals, and we are proud and privileged to celebrate them during Black History Month.
Visit our ECHCS Facebook page to see images from our February events.
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ECHCS Go Red Heart Health Event
Get ready to paint VA red with enthusiasm for women's heart health on Feb. 9! Remember to wear red, and please join us for information and resources at an empowering Go Red for Women Healthy Heart Day. The event will be Friday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, 1700 N. Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80013.
This event is dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease and fostering healthier hearts among our women Veterans, but all are welcome to attend and learn more about heart health.
Here's what's in store for you:
- Gentle chair yoga session
- Healthy cooking demo
- Blood pressure screening
- CPR training
- VA benefits eligibility information
- and more
Don't miss this opportunity to prioritize your well-being and connect with VA resources available to you. Let’s come together to champion heart health. See you Feb. 9!
Visit our Facebook page for the full event listing.
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Open House and Ribbon Cutting for ECHCS Virtual Health Resource Center
The VA ECHCS Virtual Health Resource Center, located at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center is expanding services and opening their doors to show Veterans how we can assist with their virtual health needs. Going forward, this area will be open to Veterans and staff to receive assistance with virtual health tools like secure messaging, MyHealtheVet, telehealth appointments, and much more.
Join us Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. to explore how VA health care staff are leading the way in virtual health care.
The VHRC is located in room D1-187, at the RMR VA Medical Center, and this event will be held right outside the VHRC near elevator 2 on the concourse.
Visit our ECHCS website for more information.
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VHIC Cards Expiring
Bulk issued Veteran Health Identification Cards (VHICs) automatically mailed to Veterans in 2014 will soon be expiring in 2024. This is due to their established 10-year expiration date.
Previously, VHIC requests processed more than 90 days prior to the VHIC expiration date would maintain the same expiration date. Presently, any Veteran who requests a renewal VHIC within one year of the printed expiration date will be issued a new VHIC with an expiration date ten years from the date of renewal. This change took effect on December 15, 2023.
Every Veteran requesting a new VHIC will be required to undergo proofing and a current photo is mandatory. Veterans may apply for a new VHIC either through Self Service or in person at their preferred facility.
For more information on how to obtain a VHIC, please visit the Veteran's Health Identification Card webpage.
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Online Appointment Scheduling
Beginning Feb. 12, 2024, Veterans will be able to schedule primary care appointments online.VA Online Scheduling offers a secure, online way for Veterans to request and self-schedule appointments at VA. Veterans must be enrolled and assigned to a PACT team to schedule online. To schedule, Veterans can download the VA Mobile Scheduling app from their smartphone app store, or through the appointments page on MyHealtheVet.
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Secure Messaging Available for Surgery
Surgery teams are now available to contact by Secure Messaging through MyHealtheVet. Veterans can reach out to their care team for help with questions and concerns and nurse navigators will assist and route messages to providers. Using Secure Messaging allows Veterans to contact their care team conveniently, often with faster response times.
Learn more about MyHealtheVet by visiting their webpage.
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ECHCS Release of Information Hours Changing
To support requests for Veteran medical records in a timely manner, ROI is changing their customer service hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and encourage Veterans to access their medical records through a MyHealtheVet premium account.
For more information about MyHealtheVet or for assistance accessing MHV, please call 720-723-7263 or 720-723-6279. Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center customer service hours are now Mondays & Fridays 8 am to noon, Tuesdays & Thursdays noon to 4 pm and closed on Wednesdays to fill requests. Colorado Springs customer service hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 9 am to 1 pm and closed on Wednesdays.
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VEText Open Slot Management
Have you heard about VetText, a new way to get information about sooner Primary Care appointment?
You may see texts from VetText (phone # 53079) asking you if you would like to reschedule one of your future appointments to an earlier date. When this happens, other veterans might also be receiving the same offer.
You may respond to the text in one of four ways:
(1) Type “Reschedule.” If you are the first to respond to the reschedule offer, you will get that new appointment, and the one you had before will be cancelled.
(2) Type “Keep” to keep your appointment. If other openings arise to reschedule that appointment, you won’t be notified.
(3) No response: You will continue to receive reschedule offers.
(4) Type “PASS.” That way you won’t get future offers to reschedule.
How can you get an sooner primary care appointment?
When you make your appointment, tell your scheduler that you would like a sooner appointment if one becomes available.
If you have questions, call (303)-399-8020, Option 2.
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Mobile Check-in Tips and Tricks
If you utilize the mobile check-in feature to check-in to your appointment by texting “CHECK IN” to 53079 or you have received a text to check-in from 53079, please ensure to wait to check yourself in until you have arrived at your appointment location check-in desk. This ensures that clinic staff aren't looking for patients that aren't actually in the clinic.
If you have been waiting longer than 10 minutes for your scheduled appointment, that you checked-in to via text, please alert the front desk staff member. If you have questions, please call (303) 399-8020, Option 2
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Recent Stories From VA ECHCS
Strong Hearts the Focus of Go Red for Women Event
By April Love, VISN 19 writer & editor
February, the month with Valentine’s Day and Go Red for Women cardiac health awareness, is all about the heart. For the entire month, VA employees will wear red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and to help save lives.
VA Goes Red event
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association. To raise awareness nationwide, VA is partnering with the Aurora community to Go Red for Women for an event promoting heart health.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center is hosting Healthy Heart Day, a health fair and educational seminar on Fri., Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Attendees are invited to wear red, and guest speakers will give short presentations on ways to support heart strength. Presenters will cover blood pressure monitoring, gentle chair yoga, smoking cessation, CPR training and more.
Participants can speak with medical staff about the warning signs of stroke and heart attack for women, learn about available benefits for women Veterans and visit 14 different booths with information and resources about VA and community partners.
Available resources, supportive services, healthy hearts
VA staff from the women’s clinic and mental health will have booths with educational information, products and resources for women Veterans. Other activities will connect attendees to stress management support, spiritual care, a healthy cooking demonstration and wellness information.
Event organizer Eva Gergely, center for development and civic engagement chief, said women Veterans tend to get busy with jobs and as mothers and caregivers, so they don’t always have the capacity to focus on their own care.
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Thriving after trauma: Veteran’s 40-year battle to heal, overcome and live again
By April Love, VISN 19 writer & editor
“I couldn’t walk 40 years ago,” said U.S. Navy Veteran Michael Diggs. “It took a while to walk again. It was fear.”
A traumatic experience
Diggs experienced a life-altering encounter during his military service.
“One of my shipmates used a fighter jet to traumatize my whole central nervous system,” he said. “That caused me to become disabled.”
After the incident, Diggs developed conversion disorder, a rare condition where a mental health issue disrupts how the brain works.
According to research from the Cleveland Clinic, this disorder can cause real, physical symptoms to erupt in a person’s life that are beyond their control. Sufferers of conversion disorder may experience blindness, paralysis or other neurologic symptoms that cannot be explained by illness or injury.
“I left the Navy totally disabled,” Diggs said. “I became a quadriplegic for a time from the psychological trauma, and it took 40 years for me to make sense of my past.”
Living with challenges
Diggs faced a wall with his physical limitations and could not find consistent work.
“I had to overcome this disorder that made me think I couldn’t use my arms,” he said. “That type of trauma shut down every system in my body. I had to reteach myself how to do everything.”
Diggs, now 66, credits VA facilities in Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Colorado with helping pull him out of this debilitating place.
“During those years, VA was my second home,” he said. “I checked myself into the hospital regularly to get support and learn life skills. That trauma erased a lot of stuff in my head. About 35 years into it, my brain started working again to a degree. I could see myself coming out of it.”
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Work with VA ECHCS
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System is always looking for individuals with a passion for serving Veterans. In fact, many of our employees are Veterans. We have open positions in clinical, administrative and facility management positions. Make the difference in the lives of Veterans and apply to work with us!
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