Native American Heritage Month - Day 1, Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center

The Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center celebrates and honors our Nation’s first peoples during Native American Heritage Month in November. We celebrate the resilience and contributions of Native Americans throughout the country. We also recognize our history’s painful legacy and endeavor to stand with tribes to meet the VA’s trust obligations.

To this end, the first-ever Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs was appointed on October 3, 2021. The Committee provides advice and guidance to the VA leadership on all matters relating to Indian tribes. Further, the VA developed an MOU with the Indian Health Service to promote access to high-quality healthcare for American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans.

American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives have a long history of service in the U.S. Armed Forces and have served with distinction in every major conflict for over two centuries. There are approximately 160,000 Native Veterans across the country.

Native American Heritage Month is not only a celebration of the ways Native Americans and Tribes have shaped and contoured our American society, but also a recognition that we must work along with our tribal counterparts to help strengthen and acknowledge tribal sovereignty and self-determination. The VA remains committed to this recognition to ensure the federal government upholds its trust obligations.

Join us at 830am, November 2nd for a flag raising ceremony to commemorate, celebrate, and kick off Native American Heritage Month.

Then join us again for day two  of celebrations on November 3rd at 11am, for a Cultural Awareness Exhibition. 

Media are requested to RSVP NLT noon on 1 November to: sarah.dernovish@va.gov