June is Men's Health Awareness Month -- June is PTSD Awareness Month -- SimLEARN Training Saves Lives -- Live Whole Health #222: Under Acupressure -- Upcoming Dwyer Events
| |
June is Men's Health Awareness Month: Prioritizing the Well-Being of Veterans
| |
|
June is designated as Men's Health Awareness Month, a crucial time to focus on the unique health challenges faced by men, particularly those who have served in the military. Veterans often encounter specific health issues related to their service, including physical injuries, mental health concerns, and the long-term effects of combat exposure. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare tailored to the needs of male Veterans, emphasizing the importance of regular check-ups, preventive care, and early detection of potential health problems.
The VA offers a wide range of resources and services to support male Veterans in maintaining their health. These include routine screenings, mental health support, and specialized programs for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and prostate cancer. Veterans can access these services through VA Medical Centers, Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers, which provide free and confidential counseling. Additionally, the VA encourages Veterans to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management techniques. For more information on available resources, visit the VA’s healthcare website. By taking advantage of these resources and prioritizing their health, male Veterans can lead longer, healthier lives and continue to thrive well beyond their service years.
| |
June is PTSD Awareness Month: Support for Veterans and Their Families |  | |
June is recognized as PTSD Awareness Month, a critical time for raising awareness about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the resources available to Veterans and their families. PTSD is a serious mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as combat, natural disasters, or personal assaults. It affects millions of Veterans, impacting their daily lives and relationships. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is committed to providing comprehensive support and treatment options to help Veterans manage and overcome PTSD. During this month, we emphasize the importance of seeking help and breaking the stigma associated with mental health issues.
The VA offers a variety of resources to support Veterans and their families in dealing with PTSD. These include counseling services, support groups, and specialized treatment programs tailored to the unique needs of Veterans. Veterans can access these services through VA Medical Centers, Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, and the VA's Vet Centers, which provide free and confidential counseling. Additionally, the VA’s National Center for PTSD offers educational materials, self-help tools, and information on evidence-based treatments. For immediate assistance, Veterans can contact the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255. By leveraging these resources, Veterans and their families can find the support they need to navigate the challenges of PTSD and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
| |
SimLEARN Training Saves Lives, Even Outside of the Hospital | |
|
You never know what situation you may find yourself in, and VHA healthcare professionals know this all too well. That’s why the Simulation Learning, Evaluation, Assessment, and Research Network (SimLEARN) was created.
One day, a VHA nurse named Megan attended a race that her boyfriend was running, and as she went to greet him at the finish line, she noticed a Sheriff attending to a different runner who wasn’t feeling well. A short time later, the runner went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. This is the point at which Megan’s training took over. She immediately went over to the runner, began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and applied an automated external defibrillator (AED). The runner was shocked twice by the AED, and Megan continued to administer CPR. After what seemed like an eternity, the runner began to respond, and when EMS arrived, he was sitting up and talking.
SimLEARN Resuscitation Training helps frontline staff respond quickly
While reflecting on the events of that day, Megan referenced a training implemented by SimLEARN’s Resuscitation Education and Innovation portfolio (REdI) that proved instrumental in her life-saving actions. REdI provides a robust resuscitation training portfolio through innovation and collaborative partnerships to improve health care, and their Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) program is a prime example of how simulation-based training can save lives even in the most unforeseen of circumstances. Megan diligently trained with RQI every three months, which she cited as directly contributing to the quality of her CPR efforts on the runner, saving his life.
SimLEARN brings resuscitation quality improvement growth throughout the country
RQI provides low-dose, high-frequency training on a quarterly basis, and it aligns with the updated American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines to incorporate deliberate practice and mastery learning. It’s also used as booster training sessions for basic and advanced life support courses to improve learning outcomes that aim to positively affect patient outcomes. RQI is the gold standard of training, according to the AHA, and, over the past year, 78% of all eligible VA staff adopted the training with 58 VA medical facilities obtaining a 100% staff adoption rate. At the end of 2022, around 250,000 VA staff members had undergone training in RQI.
While RQI is designed for clinical learning, the morning of Megan’s boyfriend’s race demonstrates that emergencies that require swift resuscitation actions may occur at any moment. Only a week after SimLEARN heard Megan’s story, another nurse, Patricia, recounted how her RQI training guided her actions as she had to perform CPR on a child at her daughter’s school dance. Patricia also used the AED and performed compressions until EMS arrived. She said, “It was crazy and terrifying, but my training took over.” Thankfully, the little girl survived and is doing well.
SimLEARN’s REdI portfolio, first and foremost, gives frontline staff the lifesaving tools to save Veteran lives every day; however, as we’ve seen here, frontline staff have taken it upon themselves to let their training take over, becoming first responders to those in dire need of care.
| |
Live Whole Health #222: Under Acupressure | |
When I hear phrases like “being under pressure” in a negative context, I tend to think of it in the reverse, about how some pressure can be good for us and to help motivate or get us going.
If you’ve ever had a headache or found yourself in a stressful situation, you may have rubbed your temples or the space between your eyes, applying pressure. When your muscles are sore, you may apply pressure to help them feel better. Those are examples of naturally placing our hands on specific areas of our body for relief.
The practice of acupressure can help relieve tension and pain and support our well-being. Acupressure is the application of pressure to specific points on the body, and it has been used for thousands of years to support health and well-being. It’s also a specific type of massage therapy technique based on the meridian system, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine and other ancient healing systems.
Acupressure is used in health care settings by a variety of trained professionals: acupuncturists, massage therapists, and nurses, for example. And, it’s easy to learn specific acupressure points as a self-care method that we can use anytime. When several points are grouped together to increase the effectiveness of the treatment, it is called an “acupressure prescription.” These acupressure prescriptions can help with specific health issues, like headaches and lower back pain; they can also be used to support increases in energy, finding calm during stressful situations, or finding relaxation.
We can access the relief these points provide anytime it is needed—simply press or massage the points for about 30 seconds and use an amount of pressure that feels comfortable without being painful.
Acupressure can be one way to treat pain and help improve your health from the comfort of your home. For other ways to live healthier, check out the Circle of Health. For more information on complementary and integrative health (CIH) services in VA, visit the Complementary and Integrative Health page on the Whole Health website. To find out what your local VA Facility offers related to Whole Health and CIH, connect with your local Whole Health Facility Contact.
| |
 | |
3rd ANNUAL RAND COMMUNITY GOLF TOURNAMENT:
- June 15th.
- Chautauqua Golf Club Lake Course, 4731 West Lake Road, Chautauqua.
- Registration is at noon. Dwyer is one of the beneficiaries again this year.
- $125 per golfer. Sponsorship packages are available.
- Dwyer is looking for volunteers to help run this event. Email Cindy for a brochure or more information.
PUPS WITH PURPOSE:
- June 23rd.
- 11 am – 3 pm.
- Dwyer Chautauqua has a new partner in the south. The Warren area has started a group called Be Well Warrior and their goal is to hold events similar to ours. We are invited to any of their activities and are hoping for some of them to join us. This event is a picnic at Werner Park on Rt. 62 in Russell, before the Warren VA. New Hope Service Dogs will be there too. Picnic lunch served.
More of their events will be posted in a new email tagged: Dwyer partner program: Be Well Warriors
VETERAN’S 4 CHRIST FISHING DERBY:
- June 27th at the Westfield Fish and Game Club.
- Picnic and fish with the family.
- More details to come.
SENECA VETERANS POW WOW OUTREACH:
- July 20th.
- 11 am opening ceremonies.
-
This will be held at the Seneca Allegany Casino Conference Center. The Vet Center mobile unit will be there as well.
| |
|
Did someone forward you this email?
We want to keep in contact. Please consider signing up on our mailing list for monthly updates about local Veterans' Health and Wellness news:
| | | | |
