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Stories

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

  • The phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” has been in use for more than 360 years, but rarely has it been more relevant than the onset of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

    Dane Friedman, Chief Engineer at the VAMC, was the driving force behind converting space on the fourth floor into a negative-pressure isolation unit designed to care for coronavirus patients while minimizing risk to the rest of the hospital.

  • The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is one of 10 VA Patient Safety Centers of Inquiry (PSCI) selected nationally to develop innovations to improve patient safety throughout VA.

    Employee Health Coordinator Janet Muchuelas speaks to an employee about options for smoking cessation. Photo by James Arrowood.

  • The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Diabetes Self-Management Education Service (DSMES) located at the main hospital in downtown Charleston has been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

    Employee Health Coordinator Janet Muchuelas speaks to an employee about options for smoking cessation. Photo by James Arrowood.

  • Art often has a way of moving people.

    Portrait Artist Rick Austin (second from left) with girlfriend Diana Vincent (left), sister of PFC Ralph H. Johnson Helen Richards (center), her daughter Elaine Johnson-Jones and her husband Garry at the portrait dedication.

  • The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Diabetes Self-Management Education Service (DSMES) located at the main hospital in downtown Charleston has been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

    Diabetes Educator Cheryl Pratt instructs Veteran Dewayne Patterson how to use of his insulin pump. Photo by James Arrowood.

  • When Margaret Bradbury, Chief of Nutrition & Food Service at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, opened the facility’s Veteran Food Pantry in December 2017 she hoped to make a difference for nutritionally-challenged patients by providing healthy foods for those in need.

    Margaret Bradbury, Chief of Nutrition & Food Service inspecting canned food items for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Veteran Food Pantry.

  • On Friday, Jan. 10, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Fisher House celebrated the second anniversary of checking-in its first guest back in 2018.

    William "Gene" Driggers sits in his favorite chair in the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Fisher House living room alongside his wife Margaret during their 90-day stay at the home.

  • In Fiscal Year 2019, The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center served just under 80,000 unique patients, including more than 10,000 female Veterans.

    The renovation and expansion of the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC Intensive Care Unit (ICU) increased the size of the patient rooms and updated to state-of-the-art technology. Photo by Michael Romeo.

  • A special visitor, courtesy of the Charleston Police Department, dropped by the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Fisher House on Dec. 18 with a motorcycle for a sleigh and squad cars full of gifts. It was Santa Claus himself!

    Santa, Mrs. Claus and the City of Charleston Police Department stand with Fisher House families during a special donation for Veterans.

  • How do Veterans who have been unemployed get back into the workforce? The VA has a program called Compensated Work Therapy (CWT), which is designed to help Veterans develop skills and gain experience to become fully employed.

    Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) staff at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center help connect Veterans with employment. Photo by James Arrowood.