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Ms. Vera Howard named AVAHCS Peer Specialist of the Year 2024

Howard
By Derrick Smith, Public Affairs Officer

Her transparency goes along way with the Veterans, and she is an exemplary role model for them.

The Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA HealthCare System has selected Ms. Vera Howard as the 2024 Peer Specialist of the Year. Ms. Howard models recovery daily by consistently sharing her personal recovery experiences, coping techniques and self-help strategies in the groups she co-facilitates within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) program and to Veterans that she meets with individually for Peer Support. 

Her transparency goes along way with the Veterans, and she is an exemplary role model for them. Another example of how Ms. Howard demonstrates superior skills as a role model is specific to Veterans with Seasonal Depression. 

The outcome was that this group had more enrollees than previous years and the group has thrived since Ms. Howard came on board.