Wednesday, October 21, at 5 p.m., we will be hosting a patient Tele-Town Hall event for Eastern Colorado Health Care System patients. The event dial-in line for patients is: 855-274-9533. During this event, we will have experts on the line to assist with answering questions. For more information, please visit va.gov/eastern-colorado-heal…

Wednesday, October 21, at 5 p.m., we will be hosting a patient Tele-Town Hall event for Eastern Colorado Health Care System patients. The event dial-in line for patients is: 855-274-9533. During this event, we will have experts on the line to assist with answering questions. For more information, please visit va.gov/eastern-colorado-heal…

VA Eastern Colorado is recruiting veterans who are experiencing, PTSD-related nightmares to participate in a research study to help us understand if improving sleep quality, by reducing the impact of nightmares, can improve cardiovascular health. To be eligible for the study, veterans must experience repetitive nightmares related to PTSD and be between the ages of 22 and 88 years old. If interested, use your phone to scan the QR code in the image provided and complete the optional preliminary eligibility survey. For any questions, contact Claire Cox at [email protected].

📢 Need a Wheelchair Repair? We've Got You Covered! If you need your wheelchair repaired between 10/9 and 10/28, choose the option that works best for you: ☎️ Let us coordinate it — call 720-723-3446 Give the clinic a call and we'll arrange your repair with an approved vendor. 🛠️ Scootaround comes to you — call 888-583-8387 Reach our national repair partner directly and they'll come to you to service your VA-issued wheelchair, powerchair, or scooter — no appointment needed. ✅ Quick tip: Your device must be on your VA prosthetic record to use Scootaround. Not sure? We're happy to help — just call us.

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) is now offering centralized flu vaccine clinics at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic in Colorado Springs and PFC James Dunn VA Clinic in Pueblo. RMR VA Medical Center: Bldg G, Floor 3, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lindstrom Clinic: Near the Fireplace, Monday through Friday, until Nov. 30, Walk-in, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 11: 30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Dunn Clinic: Every Thursday in October, except Oct. 15, Walk-in, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vaccines will be available by walk-in or appointment through the end of flu season, which typically extends into the spring. Additionally, veterans have multiple options to get their flu shot this year: 1. VA ECHCS primary care and specialty clinics is offering flu vaccines during scheduled appointments and by walk-in during normal clinic hours. 2. No-cost flu vaccines are available to enrolled veterans at pharmacies and urgent care locations across eastern Colorado. To find a close-to-home and in-network community care provider, veterans can enter in their zip code in the drop-down menu of the VA locator at va.gov/find-locations. For those who choose to go outside of VA care for their flu shot, veterans can let their VA team know so they can update their records. They will need to send their provider a Secure Message using the VA Health and Benefits app or My HealtheVet, or call the VA call center, at 303-399-8020, to relay a message to their care team, with: • Their full name, • The last four digits of their Social Security number, • The name of the vaccine, • The date they received it, • Where they received it. If veterans have questions, they can contact their VA care team.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Lyssa Chacko, Gastroenterology Physician, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Stephen Waldo, Interventional Cardiology Director, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Paul Varosy, Cardiac Electrophysiology Director, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Gregory Schwartz, Chief Cardiologist, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

To our veterans, All Patient Advocate offices in VA ECHCS will be closed this Friday, Sept. 25, for training. The walk-in offices at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, PFC. Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic in Colorado Springs, and the PFC James Dunn VA Clinic in Pueblo will reopen Monday, Sept. 28, for normal hours. Questions may be directed to the service area by asking for a service level advocate (not the same as a patient advocate) or supervisor. For more information, or to call our Patient Advocate office and leave a voicemail, visit our VA ECHCS website, ow.ly/GGfm50ZQIi8.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Lindsay Nicholson, Infectious Diseases Attending Physician, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) started offering free flu vaccine clinics for veterans on Sept. 14. Vaccines will be available by walk-in or appointment through the end of flu season, which typically extends into the spring. Veterans have multiple options to get their flu shot this year: 1.VA ECHCS primary care and specialty clinics will offer flu vaccines during scheduled appointments and by walk-in during normal clinic hours. 2.No-cost flu vaccines are available to enrolled veterans at pharmacies and urgent care locations across eastern Colorado. To find a close-to-home and in-network community care provider, veterans can enter in their zip code in the drop-down menu of the VA locator at va.gov/find-locations. For those who choose to go outside of VA care for their flu shot, veterans can let their VA team know so they can update their records. They will need to send their provider a Secure Message using the VA Health and Benefits app or My HealtheVet, or call the VA call center, at 303-399-8020, to relay a message to their care team, with: •Their full name,  •The last four digits of their Social Security number,  •The name of the vaccine,  •The date they received it,  •Where they received it.  If veterans have questions, they can contact their VA care team.

To our veterans living in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area, The monthly VA Legal Clinic that is scheduled to happen tomorrow, Sept. 22, from 12-2 p.m., is cancelled for this month due to the ongoing restoration efforts and limited space availability from flooding that occurred at the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic in August. For all other legal needs, veterans can visit VA’s Community Resource & Referral Center, located at the York Street VA Clinic, at 3836 York St., in Denver, on the second Tuesday of each month, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., or VA’s Veterans Justice Outreach Program website, ow.ly/501Q50ZPTa5, for assistance. We apologize for this inconvenience.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Silpa Krefft, Pulmonary & Critical Care Physician, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) started offering free flu vaccine clinics for veterans on Monday, Sept. 14. Vaccines will be available by walk-in or appointment through the end of flu season, which typically extends into the spring. Veterans have multiple options to get their flu shot this year: 1.VA ECHCS primary care and specialty clinics will offer flu vaccines during scheduled appointments and by walk-in during normal clinic hours. 2.No-cost flu vaccines are available to enrolled veterans at pharmacies and urgent care locations across eastern Colorado. To find a close-to-home and in-network community care provider, veterans can enter in their zip code in the drop-down menu of the VA locator at va.gov/find-locations. For those who choose to go outside of VA care for their flu shot, veterans can let their VA team know so they can update their records. They will need to send their provider a Secure Message using the VA Health and Benefits app or My HealtheVet, or call the VA call center, at 303-399-8020, to relay a message to their care team, with: •Their full name,  •The last four digits of their Social Security number,  •The name of the vaccine,  •The date they received it,  •Where they received it.  If veterans have questions, they can contact their VA care team.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Isaac Harley, Rheumatology Attending Physician, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA Eastern Colorado is recruiting veterans who are experiencing, PTSD-related nightmares to participate in a research study to help us understand if improving sleep quality, by reducing the impact of nightmares, can improve cardiovascular health. To be eligible for the study, veterans must experience repetitive nightmares related to PTSD and be between the ages of 22 and 88 years old. If interested, use your phone to scan the QR code in the image provided and complete the optional preliminary eligibility survey. For any questions, contact Claire Cox at [email protected].

Veterans, before some VA appointments, you may receive a text or email from VA with a secure link to complete a health questionnaire, via the BHL-Screener. It’s quick and confidential, and your answers go directly into your VA health record. The BHL-Screener, formally e-screening, streamlines the collection and processing of Clinical Reminder questionnaires by automating Veteran outreach, response capture, CPRS Progress Note generation, and when applicable, completion of the Clinical Reminder. It reduces staff workload, minimizes variability in how questions are asked, and enables Veterans to complete important screenings before their appointments, thereby giving their primary care physician a more complete picture of the Veteran’s medical issues. BHL Touch, a VA-approved web-based tool supporting measurement-based mental health care, now offers a new mode for Veterans to complete assessments anytime using their own device, in addition to traditional iPad entry in the office. This allows Veterans to receive and answer questions in advance of appointments, increasing the time they have with their primary care physician and reducing the time Veterans spend filling out paperwork when they arrive for their appointment. This new feature allows providers to text or email a secure link to a Veteran for convenient completion from anywhere. When the requested assessments are completed, the provider is immediately notified via email, and they can then review the results, track the patient’s progress over time, and seamlessly upload them to the electronic health record. The benefits of this technology include: •expanded implementation of MBC •more accurate and efficient documentation of care •increased overall patient and provider satisfaction See an example message from VA to know what to look for: telehealth.va.gov/health-que…

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Michael Erlanger, Attending Surgeon, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

VA ECHCS would like to congratulate Dr. Margaret Fitzpatrick, Infectious Diseases Physician, for being selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.