St. Cloud VA

UPDATE

August 18, 2023

Upcoming Flu Vaccination Clinics for Eligible Veterans planned across Central Minnesota

During the upcoming flu season, flu shots for St. Cloud VA Veterans are available at most scheduled VA appointments starting in mid-September, at convenient walk-thru and drive-thru flu shot clinics, and through the VA Community Care Network. 

VA flu shot clinics are for enrolled Veterans only and shots are free. Walk-thru or drive-thru flu clinics do not require an appointment. Flu-shot only appointments cannot be scheduled.

Flu shots for Veterans at a scheduled VA appointment

• Veterans can get a flu shot as part of most appointments. Some services, like imaging, lab, and others, do not administer flu shots.
• Flu-shot only appointments are not offered.

Walk-thru flu shot clinics are available at these locations and times:

•  St. Cloud VA Medical Center, Bldg. 96: Sat., Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to Noon.
•  Max J. Beilke VA Clinic, 410 30^th Ave. E., Alexandria: Fri., Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
•  Montevideo VA Clinic, 1025 N. 13th St., Montevideo: Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 Drive-thru flu shot clinics are available at these locations and times:

•  St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC) Parking Lot, 5001 Veterans Drive, St. Cloud (next door/west of the VAMC):
  • Oct. 5 and Fri., Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Brainerd VA Clinic Parking Lot, 722 NW 7th, Brainerd (enter via Essentia Health Sports Center parking lot at corner of NW 5^th St. and Jackson St.):
  • Sept. 27 and Thurs., Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Flu Shots Also Available through VA’s Community Care Network

Eligible Veterans can receive free flu shots at more than 70,000 Community Care Network (CCN) retail pharmacies and urgent care locations.

Veterans can use the VA Locator to find a VA facility, in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location near them by visiting: https://www.va.gov/find-locations.

You're Invited!

To the 2023 Baby shower celebrating babies born to or expected by Veterans in 2023. 

Thursday, September 7, 2023, 5-8 p.m.

St. Cloud VA Auditorium

Join us for an evening of food, fun and prizes as we share information on VA benefits for maternity care!

To register call: (320) 252-1670, ext. 6655

Registration deadline: August 24, 2023.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is September 15, 2023. Though not here… their sacrifice is not forgotten. Their story is one of sacrifice and courage; their legacy, the gift of liberty.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency more than 81,000 Americans remain missing as well as approximately 132,000 Americans were held captive as prisoners of war (POW) in all US conflicts and wars combined to date since the 1941 (U.S. Department of Defense, n.d.).

See more - Does Barry Want the following as an attachment? 

Since 1950 the wars in Korean and Vietnam saw a significant increase in Americans being held as POWs. Many endured physical and mental abuse as their captors attempted to indoctrinate them or coerce statements for propaganda purposes. As a result in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter the National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established. Since then, each subsequent president has issued an annual proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September. This year the National POW/MIA Recognition Day is September 15, 2023.

The Missing Man Table ceremony is a dignified and solemn moment for all to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our Fallen or Missing. It involves a round table to signify the never-ending concern for those missing. The tablecloth is white to represent the purity of the servicemember’s heart. A single rose for the loved ones left behind, and a yellow ribbon to convey the hope that their loved one will return home. A single lemon slice for the bitterness of their fate, while a pinch of salt represents that uncertainty. A glass rests turned over representing their inability to share in a toast. And a lit candle serves as a beacon for their eventual return.

Those that survived captivity as a POW and were repatriated have a unique perspective on freedom. American POWs are the only ones that truly understand what it means to have their unalienable rights stripped from them. The men and women of this country who have been forced by circumstances to become prisoners of war truly know what freedom means. They know it has not come free but rather with the heaviest of costs. For those who never returned we wait in the hopes that tomorrow’s promise brings everyone home.

Upcoming PACT Act Education Seminars

• September 6, 2023: 1 p.m.
• October 4, 2023: 1 p.m.
• November 1, 2023: 1 p.m.
• December 20, 2023: 1p.m.

Call 320-252-1670, ext. 7627 to reserve your spot!  Attendance is limited to 30 people.

Unable to attend, but have questions about the PACT Act? 

• Call our Eligibility Office at 320-252-1670 ext. 6340.
• Or Learn More at:

www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/

Join our Women's Health Focus Group

November 14, 2023, Noon to 1 p.m.

St. Cloud VA Medical Center 

Building 4, Room 180, 4801 Veterans Drive, St. Cloud, MN 56303

• Help us cultivate a more welcoming and inclusive environment for women Veterans.
• We value your insight and recommendations.
• Enrolled Women Veterans of all ages and eras are encouraged to take part in this focus group.

Please contact Women Veterans Program Manager Rachel Moehn at 320-252-1670, ext. 6655 with any questions.

The new patient and visitor parking ramp at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center is open for use!

Dr. Brent Thelen, Director; Cheryl Thieschafer, Associate Director; Breta Monroe, Nurse Executive; and Eric Blumke, VA Police Chief cut the ceremonial ribbon and greeted the first Veterans to park in the new parking ramp on July 31, 2023. 

The ramp entrance is on the right as you approach Bldg.1 on the main drive.

The hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

The parking ramp adds a net total of 200 additional parking spaces for patient and visitor parking. It is a fully accessible self-service ramp and is not equipped with additional or enhanced services. There are 29 handicap accessible parking stalls, elevator, and ramp for easy access into the Bldg. 1 main entrance.

Caregivers, escorts, and other transportation providers are encouraged to continue delivering Veterans with significant mobility challenges to the Bldg. 1 main entrance prior to parking.

Courtesy shuttle service is available for all patient and visitor parking areas, including the parking ramp, by calling 320-339-7009 upon arrival.

Those arriving for Urgent Care after 4 p.m. should park elsewhere so their vehicle does not remain in the ramp beyond 6:30 p.m.    

Access to the ramp is restricted to vehicles under 8 foot 6 inches tall.

Located on the east side of the main drive just south of Bldg. 1, the 47,000 sq. ft. parking ramp has a total of 254 parking spaces on two levels, including a ground and basement level. The ramp is not a sloped style parking ramp; instead it features two flat parking levels. All vehicles will enter and exit the ramp off the main drive south of Bldg. 1. The traffic flow is 2-way throughout the ramp, there are no 1-way lanes. The parking stalls are at a 90-degree angle, allowing parking from either direction while on the ramp.

Please observe posted speed limits and traffic signs and be alert for pedestrians when visiting the medical center.   

"Nursing/ Intake” Primary Care appointments no longer scheduled

Starting August 28, 2023, the Primary Care Department is eliminating separate “Nursing/Intake” appointments for primary care provider (PACT) visits in St. Cloud, and at VA clinics in Alexandria, Brainerd and Montevideo. Veterans will start to see these appointments removed from postcards and letters starting July 28, 2023, and will instead see a single provider appointment listed. 

The good news is that this means one less appointment for you or your caregiver to track.

Also, nothing is changing with the care provided. Veterans will continue to see nursing staff before their provider, and the time spent with the nurse and doctor is not changing. We’re just simplifying the process by combining two appointment listings into one on the postcards and letters. 

The one area of concern is follow-on coordinating appointments. Any appointments in other areas will need to be scheduled at least one hour from the start of your PACT appointment. Our medical support assistants (MSAs) can help you do so. 

Watch this video on our St. Cloud VA Facebook Page from our Patient Experience Office for tips on how to best open your Appointment Reminder Postcards!

Intro to Whole Health is an educational class that equips you to take charge of your health by emphasizing life-enhancing strategies, self-healing and self-care. In August the course is available at the following dates, times and locations. Call 320-252-1670, ext. 5401 to reserve your spot.