VA ECHCS News and Stories
Salida VA Clinic Hours Change
Due to staff departures from the Salida VA Clinic, the clinic hours will temporarily be reduced starting on October 7. The new clinic hours will be Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-12pm and 12:30-3:30pm. Lab draw appointments will be available on Tuesday mornings only.
Dr. Manuel Del Sol, Krista Frakes, RN and Medical Support Assistant George Smith are all departing the Salida VA Clinic. Dr. Del Sol will continue to provide appointments until his departure date, which we anticipate in late November or early December. After Dr. Del Sol departs, a remote provider will support the Salida VA Clinic with virtual appointments.
Meladee Simon, RN will be providing nursing coverage for the clinic on Tuesdays through Thursdays. MSA services will be covered remotely.
We are actively recruiting for the open positions and the clinic will return to normal operations when staffing returns to normal levels. If you are interested in the open positions, please visit usajobs.gov.
If you need to speak with someone outside of the clinic hours, contact VA Health Connect at 303-399-8020, press 2.
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Flu Season is here!
Annual flu shots are now available at your VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System.
Get your flu shot every year to protect yourself and others. It’s the surest way to prevent a serious illness and help stop the flu from spreading. You can make an appointment with your VA primary care provider or join a walk-in or drive-thru clinic at a participating VA ECHCS facility.
When presenting during a walk-in or drive-thru flu shot clinic, be ready to show your VA-issued Veteran ID card, or a current and valid government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, passport or state-issued identification card.
Visit our VA ECHCS Website for upcoming walk-in and drive-thru flu events. Patients can also ask about flu shots during their primary care visit, or call (303) 399-8020 for scheduling.
If you receive a flu shot outside of VA, please ensure you let your primary care team know by phone call or Secure Message so that they can note it in your medical record.
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ECHCS Closed for Federal Holiday, Clinical Call Center Open
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System’s medical center and clinics will be closed on Monday, October 14, for the federal holiday: Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples Day.
Inpatient and emergency services will remain open during the holiday. In case of emergency please call 911, go to the nearest ER or visit the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center Emergency Department.
The Clinical Contact Center is OPEN all federal holidays to provide scheduling, nurse triage, pharmacy services and acute virtual visits. Health Administration staff, Pharmacy Technicians, and Registered Nurses will be available and can engage Veterans for virtual care with medical providers within the Clinical Contact Center, if needed.
To get connected, call our main line at 303-399-8020, and follow the prompts, according to your need
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WHITE CANE DAY CELEBRATION
The Visual Impairment Program of Eastern Colorado Healthcare System invites you to attend our White Cane Day Celebration! This is an opportunity to learn more about the importance of the White Cane as a symbol of independence, as well as celebrate achievements of Veterans who are blind or visually impaired. There will be a resource fair for Veterans, families, and VA Employees. It will be located at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Auditorium on October 15, 2024, from 10:00AM – 12:30PM. There will be special guest speakers as well as booths set up. The Visual Impairment Staff and Veterans will gather at 10:30AM to participate in a White Cane Parade through Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center halls. Everyone is welcome to join!
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Deployment Related Asthma Research Study
- Do you have deployment related asthma?
- Were you deployed after 9/11/2001?
- Are you having active asthma symptoms?
If you answered “YES” to these questions, CU Medicine and the RMR VA are recruiting veterans to participate in a study supplement research trial aiming to improve asthma control. Compensation is provided, research is done at the Anschutz campus in Aurora, CO. Participants will be asked to:
- Donate blood and nasal swab samples
- Take both a study supplement (called L-Citrulline) and a placebo for 6-8 weeks at a time
- Come to 5-6 in person visits over a 22 week period
- Perform lung function testing
Please contact David.2.Keller@ucdenver.edu to learn more!
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Recent Stories From VA ECHCS
ECHCS Veterans Go On River Trip
 This summer, Veteran patients in the Recreation Therapy Program participated in a River Boat Rafting Trip.
Recreation Therapy/Creative Arts services are provided throughout the VHA healthcare system. Services are provided for individuals and groups in acute, residential, outpatient, home based, and telehealth settings. Recreation Therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes recreation treatment and other therapeutic interventions based upon the assessed; needs of Veterans with illnesses and/or disabling conditions. The purpose of the recreation therapy process is to improve or maintain physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual functioning in order to facilitate full participation in life.
If you are interested in learning more, as your primary care doctor to enter a recreational therapy consult.
Visit our VA ECHCS YouTube page to hear from some of the river rafting Veterans.
Start Your Journey With Whole Health
Whole Health means thinking about and approaching your health in a new way. Through conversations and courses, VA staff and Veteran peers will get to know you. They will work with you to set health and well-being goals based on your needs and what matters to you.
Whole Health puts you, not your symptoms, at the center of your care decisions. Learn more about Whole Health: Start Your Journey With Whole Health - Whole Health (va.gov).
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.
Visit our VA Healthy Living page to read 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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