VA ECHCS News and Stories
New Wheelchair Repair Service for VA
Do you have a custom wheelchair, manual wheelchair, powerchair, or scooter that was provided by the VA and is in need of repair?
Call: 1-888-583-VETS (8387)
Nationally, VA has partnered with Scootaround, the nation’s leading personal transportation solutions company, to provide a single point of contact for the repair of US Veterans Affairs issued wheelchairs, powerchairs, and scooters. This best-in-class repair service provides US Veterans with access to fast and efficient repairs and superior customer service.
Click on the included flyer to learn more.
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ECHCS Service Animals Policy and Tips
Service dogs are welcome at VA ECHCS facilities, but for the comfort and safety of all Veterans, emotional support animals and pets are not permitted in VA facilities. A service animal is a dog individually trained to perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability – such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure or performing other special tasks. Regardless, service dogs must be under the handler's control at all times. Barking, lunging, growling, biting, jumping on people or furniture are never permitted. Emotional support animals are not considered service animals and should not be brought to VA facilities.
With the high temperatures, it is also prohibited to leave a pet in your vehicle while you are at a VA facility. For the safety and comfort of your pets and other Veterans, please leave any animals that are not working service animals at home.
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ECHCS Warrior Fest: A Veteran Connection Stand-Down
Please join us on Aug. 16, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., for our VA ECHCS Warrior Fest: A Veteran Connection Stand Down!
Our ECHCS Warrior Fest is aimed to celebrate and connect Veterans to both VA and Community resources.
Join us at the John Venezia Park in Colorado Springs to learn about an array of resources available to all Veterans registered for VA care, or unregistered.
All are welcome to join! Visit our VA ECHCS website for more information.
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RMR Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Summit
All Veterans are welcome to join us for our VA ECHCS Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Summit. The event will be held Monday Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora.
Preventing Veteran suicide is challenging, but possible. All are welcome to attend our summit for Suicide Prevention to highlight the efforts and services that support Colorado’s Veterans.
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July was National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
July was first declared as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008. The full title of the month is Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, named after author Bebe Moore Campbell. This July, we were honored to join in the memory of Bebe Moore Campbell, an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who worked to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities.
July has become a time to acknowledge and explore issues concerning mental health, substance use disorders, and minority communities. Although, the heart of the month remains the effort to destigmatize mental illness. remains the effort to destigmatize mental illness. Want to learn more? Visit: Recognize Minority Mental Health Awareness Month with VA | VA Careers
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Lung Cancer Screening at VA ECHCS
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among Veterans, but lung cancer screening can save lives. VA uses screening recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society—to identify early-stage lung cancer.
Veterans at high risk for lung cancer may be screened with annual low-dose chest CTs. The goal is to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage and improve mortality rates.
You may qualify for lung cancer screening if you meet these three conditions:
- Are 50-80 years old
- Smoke cigarettes now or quit within the past 15 years.
- Smoked cigarettes for a least 20 "pack years"
For more information, click the Lung Cancer Screening flyer above or visit the VA website for more information.
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Recent Stories From VA ECHCS
Navy Veteran and Tri-athlete Pushes Past Cancer and Back to Competition
As the Olympics come to a close, we want to highlight one of our local superstar athletes, U.S. Navy Veteran Lindsey Davis.
At the age of 29, Davis, an experienced runner, was sidelined by a hurdle like none she had ever encountered before—breast cancer. After working with the team at VA ECHCS she was able to push past cancer and back into competition.
Hear more Lindsey journey back to racing on our VA ECHCS YouTube channel or read more on our VA ECHCS website!
Remembering Our Veterans Program
Meet Howard Massingill, a U.S. Army Veteran. Howard was born and raised in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area until 1981 when he joined the Army. Upon completing basic training and AIT, Howard began his military career with an overseas tour in Italy from 1983-86, before returning stateside and serving in the 1/505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.
Howard then chose to attend and complete the rigorous Special Forces Qualification Course in 1987, graduating as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant in 1988. He began his Special Forces career with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), first at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and then at Fort Carson, Colorado. While serving in the 10th SFG(A), Howard was deployed in several positions of responsibility to Kuwait, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and again to Iraq, along with several allied countries in Europe and the Middle East.
Howard retired in November 2007 after a 26-year career, then continued serving as a contractor before enrolling in the gunsmithing program at Trinidad State College in Trinidad, CO. Upon graduation, Howard opened a gun shop and gunsmithing service until closing in 2023. He continues to work as a gunsmithing instructor at Trinidad State, teaching gunsmithing techniques and firearm repair to U.S. Army civilians. Howard is married to the former Karen Coppage of Miami, Florida, and has two children (Michelle of Cumming, Georgia and Matt of Rio Rancho, New Mexico) and 4 grandchildren.
Hear Howard talk about his journey using the link below.
Visit our YouTube page to hear Howard talk about his journey.
Remembering Our Veterans is a "living history" video memoir program in which VA staff and volunteers engage veterans in meaningful conversations about their military service and other significant life experiences. To learn more about the Remembering Our Veterans program and how you can get involved, please email rov.echcs@va.gov or call 720-723-3864.
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Intro to Guided Imagery
Intro to Guided Imagery is a new wellbeing class for Veterans. The goal is to introduce attendees to a unique form of meditation which utilizes all the senses to help achieve a specific goal or outcome. Guided Imagery can help reduce anxiety, stress, depression, as well as improve mood and feelings of relaxation. These are not consecutive classes, Veterans only need to attend one session. Sessions will run approximately 30 minutes and included a guided imagery experience.
This class is being offered via VA Video Connect on the following dates:
Tuesday August 27, at 10:00 a.m., Friday September 6, at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday September 17, at 11:00 a.m., and Thursday September 26, at 1:30 p.m.
Veterans can reach out to the Whole Health Team by Secure Messaging ECHCS-Whole Health or calling Tiffani Guinn at 720-376-5587 for more information
Live Whole Health
Relationships: Who has your back?
Forging healthy bonds with family, friends, and co-workers is important for your Whole Health.
In thinking about your relationships, what matters most to you? How do relationships factor into your overall health and well-being?
Your relationships may have a bigger impact on your overall health and well-being than you realize.
Good relationships = better health
When dealing with other people, you may feel emotions that cause physical reactions in your body. Good relationships, those with people you love and trust, make you happier and healthier. Spending time with these people (and your four-legged loved ones, too) can lower your stress and even make you less likely to catch a cold!
On the other hand, some relationships can be challenging — we all have those in our lives. Conflicts and hurtful interactions can make you anxious, sick, and depressed. Many people need help to manage difficult relationships, and VA has many resources for support. Examples are VA Mental Health and VA Chaplain Service. Reach out for help if you feel your relationships are causing you distress.
Quality over quantity
The quality of your relationships matters much more than how many relationships you have. It may be better to have a few people you are close with rather than a lot of people you don’t know well.
Think about who has your back. Spend time with those people and strengthen those bonds. Improve any relationship by fostering a sense of gratitude and forgiveness.
Connecting with community
Everyone needs to feel they belong. This sense of belonging, or “social connectedness,” is also important for Whole Health.
If you are feeling alone, find ways to connect more with your community and others around you. You can volunteer, join a Veterans Service Organization, or participate in Whole Health activities at your local VA facility. You can even start your own Veterans Social group with the support of VA. Besides making new friends, you will learn more about yourself and what matters to you, which is what Whole Health is all about.
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VA Healthy Living Message: Get Recommended Screening Tests and Immunizations
What's Important to Know?
It’s important to keep up with your screening tests and immunizations to prevent certain kinds of illness. Recommendations for preventive services depend on your age, sex, health status, and family history. Every person is different.
All preventive services have possible benefits (pros) and harms (cons). Depending on your values and preferences about these benefits and harms, you may wish to receive additional, fewer, or different services than those that are recommended. Talk with your health care team about their recommendations for screening tests and immunizations that are right for you.
“Screening” means looking for a condition before there are any signs or symptoms of that condition. If you already have a symptom of the condition, you should talk with your provider about it, even if you were recently screened and no problem was found.
Regardless of age, gender, health status and family history, you should be screened for alcohol abuse, depression, high blood pressure, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), military sexual trauma, obesity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and tobacco use.
You should also follow the appropriate cancer screening guidelines. Keeping up with immunizations is also important to stay healthy. You should receive a flu shot every year and a tetanus shot at least every 10 years but some Veterans may need it sooner (indicated for wound management if greater than 5 years has passed since your last shot and those Veterans that are pregnant should receive Tdap vaccine during every pregnancy from 27-36 weeks of gestation). See Preventive Care Recommendation Charts for more information on Staying Healthy for men and for women.
Visit National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Home (va.gov) to learn more.
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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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