WILDWOOD – When the Citizens Veterans Advisory Committee decided to host a veterans benefits and health fair, Committee Chair Johnnie Walker said he was told he would never get the cooperation needed to pull off the event.
But according to Walker’s vice chair, Greg Speed, the Sept. 24 fair at the Wildwoods Convention Center saw 90 vendors register and another nine vendors walk in without registering in advance.
“I am so overwhelmed with the event and its turnout,” Walker said.
The fair included representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Cooper University Hospital, AtlantiCare and Deborah Heart and Lung Center, along with other health-related vendors, financial institutions, social service providers and organizations and agencies looking to hire veterans.
The day’s program featured a Zoom presentation by a former POW from the Vietnam war, Ralph Galati, an Air Force pilot who was shot down and spent 14 months in a prisoner camp.
Speed said there were five Veterans Service officers on hand to help with questions and claims. The county Surrogate’s Office was present to assist with wills, and a nurse from the VA Medical Center-Wilmington was giving flu shots.
A group called Soldier On was on scene to talk to veterans about housing, which it is constructing with funding from the VA and the state Department of Community Affairs. Corey Panati, a field supervisor with Soldier On, said the organization works with the VA on housing and homelessness prevention for veterans.
“When we get a call about a homeless veteran, in 24 hours we go out and make contact with them,” Panati said.
He said Soldier On is the second-largest support services agency for veterans and is making plans for a 30-unit residential structure in Cape May County. He said the agency operates a 77-unit facility in Tinton Falls and is building a 78-unit facility in West Deptford.
More importantly, he said, veterans are provided with wrap-around services that make their independent living sustainable.
The Deborah Heart and Lung representatives said business at their table was steady much of the morning, and they provided testing for two 91-year-old and one 92-year-old veterans, among others.
The Hero Care Center, a joint program offered through Deborah and Cooper hospitals, helps veterans deal with the red tape associated with health care, which can be difficult to navigate. The center will help veterans get into specialty care as needed, and even arrange transportation.
Representatives from the county Prosecutor’s Office included Cheryl Spaulding with the Hope One Van, which was on scene to provide free Narcan training, and David Shutter from the Veterans Diversion Program, which helps veterans who face lesser criminal charges.
Shutter said the program normally has four to six people in it at any time.
There were presentations offered by VA reps, who encouraged those who were not signed up for benefits through the VA to do so. Reportedly only about 60% of eligible veterans in South Jersey are signed up for services, mostly men. Female veterans were encouraged to take advantage of the services available to them.
During a question-and-answer period, Walker expressed concern that so many of the VA medical centers are located far from Cape May County, in places such as Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. In addition, he said, most facilities are over 70 years old. The VA reps acknowledged that most of the agency’s medical centers were built after World War II and that only a few areas have new facilities.
Officials at the fair confirmed that the Northfield Community Based Outpatient Clinic would move to Linwood.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, a U.S. Army veteran, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
