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Today, we express our deepest gratitude to our Veterans – for your service, resilience, and perseverance. We are thankful for the privilege to serve you at Thanksgiving – and through every season.
We encourage you to enjoy time with family, friends, and loved ones. The Atlanta VAHCS team wishes you and your family a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!
 (Pictured L-R) Myrtle White, DNP, ACNP-C; Jacquelyn Stewart DNP, APRN-C; and Jolly Thomas, DNP, APRN-C
A group of Atlanta VA Health Care System nurse practitioners noticed the organization had a high 30-day readmission rate for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) at 19.3%. They performed a Lean project to reduce readmissions. Using the Green Light to Go flyer, their team implemented a quality improvement project that involved daily patient education while the Veterans were inpatient. They facilitated interdisciplinary clinical team engagement on COPD management and updated their ambulatory care sensitive conditions dashboard to capture key COPD metrics with the Care Transition Committee.
The results of the project were reducing COPD 30-day readmissions to 14.3% and avoiding $222,000 annually in inpatient stay expenses. The gain has been sustained to date after the project completion. The project was published in the May 2024 issue of The American Journal of Nurse Practitioners and was awarded the National HeRO Award for clinical teams in FY2024. The project aligns with VHA's HRO Principles of Sensitivity to Operations, which focuses on front line staff and care processes, and Reluctance to Simplify, which focuses on getting to the root causes of problems.
Congratulations to the team of: Jacquelyn Stewart, DNP, ACNP-C, Myrtle White, DNP, NP-C, Jolly Thomas, DNP, ACNP-C, Dustin Smith, MD, Datrice Sledge, RN, Chino Serrano, PSA, Mr. William Johnson, Program Analyst, Seenamol Samuel, RN, Anjana Chandy, RN, & Meena Jose, RN-nurse champions.
 The Atlanta VA Health Care System Summer Program for Advancing Research Knowledge (SPARK) is a ten-week paid research summer experience exposing students to VA research. Students will work one-on-one with a VA physician or lab-based researcher, conduct research in a working lab or clinic setting, network with students from various Atlanta universities, and attend lectures from a variety of research specialists in the VA.
For more visit: Atlanta VAHCS SPARK Research Program
As part of the VA’s nationwide effort to reduce Veteran homelessness to record lows, the Atlanta VA Health Care System, in collaboration with key community partners, permanently housed 803 local Veterans experiencing homelessness this year. Atlanta exceeded its target by 196.1%, placing it fifth among the top seven communities in the nation for reducing Veteran homelessness. Additionally, only 2.1% of those Atlanta-area Veterans returned to homelessness within the same period.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Homeless Veterans Program staff,” said Atlanta VAHCS Executive Director Kai D. Mentzer. “Our success is not just measured in numbers, but in the profound impact we’ve made on the total well-being of our Veterans. It reflects our shared vision, community collaboration, and unwavering commitment to ending Veteran homelessness.”
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness dropped 7.5% between January 2023 and January 2024, compared to the same 12-month period for the prior year. The number of homeless veterans declined from 35,574 to 32,882, according to HUD’s point-in-time survey, an annual one-night nationwide count.
Atlanta VAHCS also exceeded engaging with unsheltered Veterans to connect them with the housing and resources they need and ensure 100% of Veterans housed have remained in housing.
If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
Stay updated on the latest information from Atlanta VAHCS: Stories | VA Atlanta Health Care | Veterans Affairs
 Why this matters to you
In 2025, you’ll have 2 secure sign-in account options (Login.gov and ID.me) for all VA websites and apps. We’ll remove the My HealtheVet option after January 31, 2025, and the DS Logon option after September 30, 2025.
You’ll still be able to use your My HealtheVet health portal—you’ll just need to sign in to it with a Login.gov or ID.me account. VA will also require multifactor authentication (MFA) as an added layer of protection for your account. If you don't have a Login.gov or ID.me account, we encourage you to create one and set up your MFA now.
 Did you know that Native American and Alaska Native Veterans serve at one of the highest rates among any cultural group in the armed services?
As we recognize National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the heritage of the Native American and Alaska Native Veterans who deeply enrich the quality and character our country, and who have sacrificed so much to defend our nation.
Learn more: Honor National Native American Heritage Month with VA | VA Careers
Join the AVAHCS Women Veterans Program, the Georgia Military Women, and the Atlanta Women's Club for the Empower Her Health Fair on Thursday, December 5, 2024, beginning at 10:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m. at the Solarium in Decatur, GA.
Our collective goal is to serve women Veterans, highlight the services and resources available, and encourage you to live Whole Health. Activities and topics include: yoga, advance directives, vaccination, blood pressure screenings, and jewelry making.
Join us! We look forward to your participation.
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