Chillicothe VA Medical Center

Bringing employees and Veterans together.

            The first Veteran/Employee Engagement Day was held on August 23, 2017. This event provided staff with little or no direct contact with our Veterans, an opportunity to visit some of our Vets and tour the residential units. I participated in this activity not really knowing what to expect other than what I read on the flyer. I’m always a little apprehensive when it comes to sparking conversation and sustaining it, not really in my wheelhouse. To my surprise, once I started asking the Veteran assigned to me about their military service, careers, and family, it became effortless. The nurse had to actually come in and ask us to wrap up our conversation because they were getting ready to serve lunch. The experience has left an impression on me and reminded me how important each one of our jobs are.

           The day after this event, the Public Affairs office received an email from a housekeeper who works on one of the residential units. An excerpt from the message reads “I would like to thank all who came out yesterday in Building 210 to mingle with our Veterans. I asked the Veterans this morning if they enjoyed themselves yesterday and they were really pleased. They said they really enjoyed it and wished that it was done more often. “

            When this activity is offered again, I encourage you to sign up and experience the same renewal of purpose that I did. You’ll take away just as much from the experience as our Veterans. For more information, please contact Angel Reyes at (740) 773-1141 ext. 6107 or Stacia Ruby at ext. 7080.