Local Vets Committed to Fellow Soldiers’ Well-being

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VILLAS – “Due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, and out of concern for our local Veterans, we are honoring current physical distancing guidelines,” wrote Tori Moskovciak, PsyD, Health Behavior Coordinator at Wilmington, Delaware, VA Medical Center.
“Through VA’s virtual care tools, we are able to leverage available technology to make sure that our patients and staff are as safe as possible during this time,” Moskovciak concluded.  These words came via a press release April 29, highlighting a universal ordeal. Across the public and private sector, mental health scores in the top concerns surrounding COVID-19.
VA Public Affairs Officer Jacob Dillon said, “Virtual care models are safe and effective ways to offer mental health services.”
Even when social distancing ceases, Dillon admitted that virtual care will “continue to be an important tool for how we offer mental health services into the future.”
Yet, how can virtual care models help local veterans in Cape May County?
According to Dillon, 33,000 veterans are currently enrolled with the Wilmington VA Medical Center. This figure encompasses all of Delaware and southern New Jersey.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5343 in the Villas are not sitting idle during this pandemic. Media sources indicate that Post volunteers are preparing approx. 80 meals twice a week. Post members receive hot meals and local residents in need. Lower and Middle Township EMS and firefighters also receive meals.
“Dinners are ongoing and the ones we deliver to are very thankful. Once again I have to thank my helpers that make this all possible,” Post Commander Bill Howard wrote on the VFW’s Facebook page April 29.
“We’re doing what we can,” Howard said in a phone interview May 1. Volunteers call before dropping off the meal at a member’s door. Social distancing rules are observed while preparing meals and delivering them.
Howard served in the US Navy and was on a ship off Beirut in 1983 when truck bombs were used in an attack on peacekeeping forces, killing a total of 307 soldiers. Meal volunteers include veterans from the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars.
Howard said members receive phone calls in an effort to help boost morale and mental health.
Isolation and loneliness stalk as unseen enemies in the war against COVID-19 and North Wildwood VFW Post 5941 Post Commander Joe Orlando is no stranger to combat.
Orlando urges veterans to “reach out” for help when needed. No one is in the fight alone. He praised the action taken by Howard and other posts throughout Cape May County in a phone interview April 30.
According to Orlando, the VFW convention is still scheduled for mid-June as well as a Memorial Day observance.
“We’ll (post members) social distance,” Orlando said, “we’ll do whatever we have to do, but we will honor our fallen.”
How can a veteran navigate the new mental services?
•     Telephone or Video Appointments – Keeping mental health appointments are vital and can be accessed at home using VA Video Connect on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
http://www.myhealth.va.gov/by visiting myhealth.va.gov.
•     Prescription Refills and Safety – Continue taking all medications as prescribed. Talk with a mental health provider if you have any concerns. Veterans may request prescription refills and order shipments of medications via https://mobile.va.gov/app/rx-refill
•     Mental Health Information and Resources – Information about managing stress and anxiety, as well as mental health resources, are available at www.mentalhealth.va.gov/coronavirus/resources
•     Text Message Reminders –This application helps Veterans monitor their symptoms and can assist those who need to contact their VA facility for care. Veterans may enroll in the app at https://mobile.va.gov/annie
According to Melissa Foster, Behavioral Health Social Worker at the Wilmington VA Medical Center, VA Mobile Mental Health Apps is available to download for free. The apps can be downloaded onto a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. As social distancing continues, Foster encourages veterans to look up the following: https://www.wilmington.va.gov/docs/Coping_with_COVID_19_Resources.pdf
“Finding new ways to communicate with friends and family can protect against feelings of loneliness or isolation” Foster wrote in an email May 1.
“Utilizing technology, such as videoconferencing allows for face-to-face communications and connections,” Foster concluded.