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VHA Office of Rural Health

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ORH In The News

VA News and Information https://www.news.va.gov | Other Media Sources

Telenephrology EWI Image

FEATURED STORY
How VA’s Telehealth Kidney Program Saves the Lives of Rural Veterans*

External Media:
STORY LINK*

VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, May 22, for its new Cookeville Multi-Specialty VA Clinic
June 8, 2026 | VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System | Funded by the PACT Act, this clinic is slated to open in 2029 and will increase access to health care to more than 22,000 Veterans. Located at 1053 Neal St., the new clinic will be nearly 36,000 square feet and offer expanded access to comprehensive care and services including primary care, mental health care, women’s health, and select specialty services like audiology, ophthalmology, physical medicine, prosthetics, and radiology.”

100+ Veterans received claim assistance during coalition clinic in Memphis
June 3, 2026 | VA Memphis Health Care System | “This direct outreach is so important for our rural Veterans who often face access barriers,” said Lillique Ford, a My HealtheVet communication specialist. “We’re making it easier and faster for Veterans to get the benefits they’ve earned.”

Bridging Distances: How Tele-Rheumatology is Transforming Care for Rural Veterans
April 21, 2026 | VA Fayetteville Arkansas Health Care System | Tele-Rheumatology, a virtual health program at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, connects patients to specialists through secure video visits.“I don’t have to worry about a thing,” said Veteran Ken Norbury. “Dr. Vuyyuru addressed every concern, and I feel better than ever. I truly owe my well-being to Dr. Vuyyuru and the VA.”
» Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story.
Training rural workforce to care for women Veterans - VA continues its mission
January 17, 2026 | VHA’s Office of Women’s Health and Office of Rural Health have continued their partnership of a workforce training program—the Rural Women’s Health Mini-Residency for Primary Care Providers and Nurses—to help primary care teams strengthen their women’s health skills.
» Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story.

VA partnership brings mobile mammography bus to rural Veterans
January 10, 2026 | The mobile mammography bus is back at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS), continuing its mission to make breast cancer screenings easier and more accessible for Veterans.

Expanding access to cancer care for rural Veterans
September 27, 2025 | VA’s National Oncology Program implemented this transformative initiative to expand access to cancer care for rural Veterans across the country. This remote infusion care delivery model addresses these challenges by bringing cancer and supportive care treatment closer to rural Veterans, either at VA’s existing network of community-based outpatient clinics or directly in their homes.

The Rural WAVE: Connecting Veterans through community and adventure
September 9, 2025 | The Rural WAVE (Wellness and Veteran Engagement) Initiative helps to provide a renewed sense of purpose for rural Veterans by leveraging relationships with local community organizations. » Read about the ORH Veterans Rural Health Resource Center project in the story.  

VA trainees find growth and opportunity in rural care
September 5, 2025 | VA trains more than 122,000 health care trainees annually in partnership with over 1,450 academic institutions. That includes placements in rural facilities like Iron Mountain VA in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where trainees gain hands-on experience serving Veterans with unique health care needs.

Reducing suicide risk for rural Veterans: Rural Veterans can learn how to create safe home environments
August 21, 2025 | One of the most effective ways to reduce suicide risk is to put time and space between someone in crisis and a firearm. A suicide crisis is usually brief, so securely storing firearms can be an effective barrier between a suicide impulse and taking action. That’s why VA created the Keep It Secure program.
Rural Veterans at risk for lung disease receive care through TelePulmonology
January 24, 2025 | According to the American Lung Association, Veterans are more likely than civilians to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive lung disease that causes damage to the lungs. Veterans who live in rural areas who don’t live near a respiratory specialist can receive care virtually through VA’s TelePulmonology service.

Other Media Sources*
*Links will take Veterans outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window for the content of the linked websites.

Gerofit Program 40th Anniversary Cake

FEATURED STORY
40 years of Gerofit at Durham VA*
External Media: VIDEO LINK*

A sense of community': Durham veterans celebrate 40 years of Gerofit*
June 4, 2026 | abc11 - Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville | Veterans gathered in Durham on Tuesday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Gerofit, a program founded at the Durham VA that focuses on improving the physical and mental well-being of older veterans through exercise and social connection. Organizers and participants say the program has helped combat social isolation while building a strong sense of community among veterans.
Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story. »

How VA’s Telehealth Kidney Program Saves the Lives of Rural Veterans*
June 8, 2026 | Military.com | Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in the United States and for veterans living in rural areas, a national shortage of nephrologists and distance to the nearest kidney specialist compound the problem. A new VA study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows that the VA’s telenephrology program is closing that gap, and saving lives in the process. Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story. »

Volunteers, VA programs help northern Arizona veterans access healthcare*
May 11, 2026 | Cronkite News | All three VA systems in Arizona – Northern, Southern and Phoenix – have transportation services that connect patients to shuttles run by the VA. The program is funded through the VA hospital itself, the Office of Rural Health within a branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the national VA transportation program. Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story. »

VA announces $7 million in rural veteran transportation services grants
April 13, 2026 | American Legion | The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the availability of $7 million in grants for organizations that provide transportation services to rural veterans. Grant funding is available to veteran service organizations and state veterans service agencies that provide veterans transportation services to and from VA or VA-authorized health care appointments. Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story. »

Multiple VA teams work together to improve health, quality of life for a rural Veteran
March 8, 2026 | VA Wichita Health Care System | VA’s Cardiology Access and Resources for Delivery of Integrated Outreach to Veterans Network (CARDIO-VET for short), operated in partnership with the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH), expands access to care for Veterans in rural and highly rural communities to expert care.
» Read about the ORH Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the story.

Rural Health - Navigation

*Link will take Veterans outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window for the content of the linked websites.

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