VA Hudson Valley Open House showcases jobs and volunteers

Summer of Service event seeks to deepen partnerships in community

 Creating and building partnerships to grow the number of people serving Veterans in the VA nationwide is fueling an Open House event July 1 at the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System.

Scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, July 1, the VA Hudson Valley Open House will include opportunities to gather information from the VA, Veteran Service Organization as well as county and state Veteran officers. The event will take place at the Castle Point campus inside the multipurpose room, 41 Castle Point Road, Wappingers Falls, NY. Everyone is invited to attend. A shuttle will ferry attendees from the lower parking lot to the event location.

Scheduled from VA Hudson Valley: Caregiver Program managers, County and State Veteran Service Officers; Homelessness, Human Resources, MyHealtheVet, nutrition and food services, OEF/OIF/OND Program, Patient Advocates, Video Telehealth, and Women’s Veteran Program. Also scheduled to appear are members of the Disabled American Veterans; the Marine Corps League; and others. Dozens of handouts will also be available.

Several displays will also showcase various VA Hudson Valley capabilities.

VA Hudson Valley Health Care System Leadership will also be available for conversations and dialogue about the Summer of Service and volunteering at the VA. A shuttle will be available to take patrons from the parking lot to the multipurpose room during the hours of the Open House.

VA facilities across the nation will conduct similar open houses throughout the week. “We have made progress over the past year addressing the challenges we face in delivering care and benefits to millions of veterans and their families,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald. “While there is more work to do to honor our commitment to veterans, we also recognize that VA cannot do it alone. We are asking Americans everywhere to join the Summer of Service and help us give back to those who have given so much to our nation.”

VA will build upon the ongoing work of its more than 350,000 employees and 76,000 volunteers around the nation – and the 426 volunteers at VA Hudson Valley. While the central focus of the campaign will be increasing volunteerism and partnerships, it will also provide individuals and communities an opportunity to support other important priorities. Despite a hiring effort that brought more than 11,000 net-new employees onboard over the past year, VA still needs more health care providers, claims specialists, medical support assistants, and cemetery directors to continue to expand needed services. VA’s partners can help by getting the word out this summer.

In the coming weeks, VA Hudson Valley will also be working closely with Congressional partners, Veterans Service Organizations, mayors and local communities, private sector and non-profit organizations, and VA employees to identify new and innovative ways to support VA’s commitment to care for those who “have borne the battle” and their families.

For more information, call the VA Hudson Valley Public Affairs Office at (914) 737-4400 ext. 2255.