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Stories

Read about what's happening in our VA Charleston health care community.

  • September is Suicide Prevention Month and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is holding several events to outreach to Veterans who may be struggling while also encouraging members of the community to check in on and be there for the Veterans in their lives.

    A Veteran receives a free gun lock from a VA Police Officer during a Suicide Prevention Awareness event at Charleston VAMC on Sept. 9, 2019. Photo by Erin Curran.

  • Each year, generally in the months leading into the harsher winter season, VAs across the country hold dedicated Stand Down Against Veteran Homelessness events to outreach to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and connect them with programs that can help.

    A VA employee assists a Veteran with applying for housing benefits during a past Stand Down event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Photo by Meredith Hagen.

  • It’s hard to believe that we’re already well into what’s often the most volatile time of the year for many Southerners – the Atlantic hurricane season – which runs from June 1 through November 30.

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. Now is the time to be prepared and make an emergency plan.

  • Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Chief of Cardiology Michael Zile received VA’s highest award for research, the William S. Middleton Award.

    Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Chief of Cardiology Michael Zile (left) received VA’s highest award for research, the William S. Middleton Award, earlier this month for outstanding contributions to biomedical research in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). (Photo by James Arrowood)

  • There are currently close to 600 community members who volunteer their time to help the more than 80,000 Veterans served by the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, its six outlying clinics, three Veteran centers and the Beaufort National Cemetery.

    As part of the annual Christmas in July program, The American Legion Post 166 Riders donated clothing, personal care items, backpacks, hygiene items and shoes totaling more than $2,400.

  • Chronic pain is an experience that many Veterans know all too well, and the devastating effects that it can introduce into a Veteran’s life can have drastic consequences.

    U.S. Army Veteran Darryl Gadsden practices yoga as part of his alternative therapy treatments for pain management. (Photo by Erin Curran)

  • The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center will soon join the rest of the Veterans Health Administration in implementation of a smoke-free campus at its medical center, its community outpatient clinics and off-site locations

    The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is soon joining the rest of the Veterans Health Administration in implementation of a smoke-free campus at its medical center, its community outpatient clinics and off-site locations.

  • Over the past few years, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the Department of Veterans Affairs have made access to care a top priority.

    At the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, 99% of all patient care clinics are now able to get Veterans in for an appointment within 30 days of their requested date. (Photo by James Arrowood)

  • The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, in collaboration with WCIV ABC News 4, will host a special symposium “Attacking Pain: Alternatives to Opioids” aboard the USS Yorktown on Thursday, July 18, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

    The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, in collaboration with WCIV ABC News 4, will host a special symposium “Attacking Pain: Alternatives to Opioids” aboard the USS Yorktown on Thursday, July 18, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

  • Many Veterans struggle to readjust to civilian life when they leave the military, and those struggles can all too often include battling with substance abuse and alcohol addiction. For those Veterans, the road to recovery can be a lonely and hard road that takes years.

    Army Veteran Jerry Weaver works in the Sterilization Services for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. Weaver completed the Compensated Work Therapy program along with the Charleston Adult Drug Treatment Court diversion program and was hired full-time by the Charleston VAMC. (Photo by Erin Curran)