As we close out 2023 and think about goals for 2024, many of us would like to focus on things that make us healthier and our lives easier. For Veterans, you likely already know about the website My HealtheVet, where you can securely message your VA Care Team, manage your appointments, track and refill prescriptions, and view, print, or download a copy of your VA medical records.

The V.A.’s goal is to make your life easier by having one place to access all your information, so you only need one login ID and one password. They are moving items to va.gov in segments, but it should all be done by the end of 2024. To help Veterans with questions or challenges with all the required technology and to help you register for My Healthevet, a Virtual Health Resource Center (VHRC) is open in Building 154 on the VA campus and ready to help you one-on-one! The VHRC is available to help VA Staff, Veterans, their families, and caregivers use VA tools and technologies, including My HealtheVet, VA Mobile, and telehealth. The VHRC can help you:

• Register for a My HealtheVet Premium account
• ID.me and Login.gov account help
• Get started with VA Mobile apps such as My HealtheVet, Ask a Pharmacist
• Connect to VA care teams using VA to Home or VA to Clinic video calls
• Help with cell phones and tablets and more

They are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Destiny Sanchez at 928-445-4860 x6488 or x6270.

To bring joy to struggling Veterans, the VA has a Domiciliary rehabilitation program for mental health needs as well as recovery and substance abuse needs, and a Community Living Center, which is a skilled nursing facility. The Domiciliary uses recreation therapy to improve struggling veterans' physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual functioning and facilitate a healthier life where they can laugh and enjoy life again. They do this through recreation such as sports, gardening, arts and crafts, socialization, etc. Recreational therapy is available solely through donations such as sports equipment, arts and crafts supplies, goods, and money. If you want to donate or have questions about the donation process, please contact Shana Shatzer at shanamarie.shatzer@va.gov or 928-445-4860 Ext. 6013.

Finally, look up Health and Fitness Programs for Veterans

in Prescott, AZ for a healthier lifestyle. Many sites come up, but a few of them are as follows:

• Touchmark at the Ranch Health and Fitness Club, 3150 Touchmark Blvd in Prescott. 928-769-5507 touchmarkfitness.com
• Planet Fitness, 1841 E. State Hwy 69, Ste. 112 in Prescott. 928-350-8832 Planetfitness.com
• Captain Crossfit, 420 6th St. in Prescott, 928-910-3494 captaincrossfit.com

Happy New Year and Much Success in Attaining Your New Year’s Goals for a

Healthier, Easier Lifestyle!

Diabetes Education at the VA! 

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed as being pre-diabetic or diabetic, the VA offers classes to help you reverse the diagnosis. If you’re pre-diabetic, you can learn how to control it and also live healthier if you’re diabetic. Pre-diabetes, which is reversible, is a warning that you are headed for diabetes, which cannot be reversed. There are in-person and online classes each month. The in-person classes are on the VA Campus, Building 117 in Room 134. The Pre-Diabetic classes are generally on the 2nd Wednesday of each month online and on the 4th Wednesday of each month in person from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. The Diabetes classes are usually on the 1st Wednesday online and the 3rd Wednesday in person from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you can’t get to a class in person, you can take an online class. The Health Resource Center will provide you with an iPad if you need one. You need the internet. To register for an in-person or an online class, call Kathy Bryson or Janee Lai at 928-445-4860 x 2581. They will send you a booklet before class so you can mark your questions. Those attending online will get an email with the link. ​

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The classes for December and January are:

• Diabetes Online Dec. 6 and Jan. 3,            12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Diabetes Classroom  Dec. 20 and Jan. 17,      12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Pre-Diabetes Online Dec. 13 and Jan. 10,     12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Pre-Diabetes Classroom Jan. 24,             12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

       None in December due to the holidays!

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA – DECEMBER 16 AT 11:00 A.M.   Prescott National Cemetery

Wreaths Across America allows you to join a grateful nation in saying “thank you” to our veterans and those who serve. This is a way to Remember an American hero at the Prescott National Cemetery, which is one of more than 4,000 locations nationwide and abroad; Honor those who serve; and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.  To do that, your support is needed through volunteering and/or donating. The wreaths are sponsored and the hope is that each hero gets one. Each wreath costs $17 this year. Money donated for each wreath goes to Veteran Service Organizations in the Prescott/Prescott Valley area to assist the ongoing needs of our Veterans. WREATHS CAN BE SPONSORED ONLINE UNTIL NOVEMBER 28, 2023 at: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org click on “SPONSOR A SPECIFIC CEMETERY" AND USE CEMETERY CODE: AZPNCP for Prescott National Cemetery.  If you want to volunteer, contact Diane Brown at DJBrownRN@yahoo.com at 480-772-6014 or Robert Jones from the National Cemetery at 928-445-4860 x7569. Volunteers lay wreaths on each marker of a fallen hero. That volunteer will say the Veteran’s name to ensure that the legacy of duty, service, and sacrifice of that veteran is never forgotten. RWOP sponsored 10 wreaths this year. 

This 35-minute touching ceremony will be held at the Prescott National Cemetery on Saturday, December 16 at 11:00 a.m. There is no parking at the cemetery, but there is free parking at Yavapai College with a shuttle service to and from the cemetery. The first shuttle starts at 9:00 a.m. and the last shuttle will be at 10:45 a.m. After the ceremony, shuttles will return you to Yavapai College.

Art Classes for Veterans

Art is therapeutic. Working with clay can be calming and meditative, reducing stress and anxiety. Just a few hours of working with ceramics or clay can revitalize and refresh your mental state. These free classes meet every other Thursday at the Mountain Artist Guild, 228 N. Alarcon St. in Prescott, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The next class is on December 14. They also have classes for Veterans on the first Wednesday of each month in the evening from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For questions, call 928-445-2510.

Veterans Connection Hub is Now Open!

The Veterans Connection Hub, located at 120 N. Marina St., Suite B in downtown Prescott, combines services under one roof. ​The new Veterans Connection Hub offers social activities, workshops, PTSD assistance, and referrals, ensuring veterans and their families feel valued and welcomed. It gives them a place to hang out together and share community.

Marine Corps League Auxiliary – This organization supports Marines, MCL

detachments, Veterans legislation, youth and community, and active-duty

Marines. For more information, contact Pauline Forsell, Southwest Division VP, at 307-299-0407 or paulinef137mcla@gmail.com. You can also go to Nationalmcla.org.

The Recreation Therapy program at the V.A.’s Domiciliary needs donations to keep its program going. Monetary donations help with the following: Taxi Service, Parking Passes, Entertainment Outings (Bowling, Movies, Batting Cages), Equine Therapy, Cooking Groups, Holiday/Special Events, and Snacks (Popcorn, Donuts, Beverages, etc.). They also accept sports equipment, arts and crafts supplies, and other goods. To donate, contact Shana Shatzer at shanamarie.shatzer@va.gov or 928-445-4860 Ext. 6013.

VetBizLady Office Hours and Networking Sessions- Free Online

Are you a female veteran entrepreneur or a female military spouse entrepreneur? The Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Women Veteran-Owned Small Business Initiative (WVSOBI) fosters diversity and promotes minority and women veterans in business. They give opportunities to female veterans by providing programming and access to economic opportunities. These free sessions are every Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET (now 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. AZ time). For More Information, contact Michelle Gardner-Ince at michelle.gardner-ince@va.gov or 202-632-8201.

Life Insurance Guide for Veterans & Servicemembers – 

If you need assistance with insurance, here is another resource. Click this link or Click the image below.

Please visit the ~ Armed Services Corner ~page on our website for more information!