Stories | VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care

From Healthy Cooking to Tai Chi: Veterans Learn New Skills in Online and In-Person Classes

Want to learn tai chi? Interested in cooking healthier meals? Trying to quit smoking? We have a class for that!

Navy Veteran and Integrative Registered Nurse (RN) Patricia Hasen performs Healing Touch on Army Veteran Harris Johnson during a Whole Health Walk-in Battlefield Acupuncture Clinic for Pain session at Building 220 on the West LA VA campus.

Creating Space for Relaxation, Reflection, Community

New decorative shade structures at Bonsall Park are providing protection from the sun’s rays, making this small oasis at the West LA VA more comfortable for Veterans, staff and guests.

Veterans and VA staff can enjoy Bonsall Park's newest additions, 7 decorative pergolas that provide shade while maximizing the cool ocean breezes the campus is known for.

Trauma-Informed Yoga: Healing Veterans From the Inside Out

Army Veteran Sarah* sits in a restorative yoga position with her head down on a pillow stretching out her back and elongating her neck.

I Came to VA to Get My Life Together and it Worked

“O 70!” “B 2!” “A 12!” Letters and numbers ring out across the room as several dozen Veterans rush to adjust their bingo cards.

Air Force Veteran Douglas Bell is the official bingo caller at West LA VA. Bell rebuilt his own life with the help of VA and is now dedicated to helping fellow Veterans who are facing similar challenges.

All In One: GLA’s Document Day Offers Veterans Easy Access to Critical Documents

Getting a copy of a driver’s license or birth certificate can be frustrating, taking time and money. But it’s certainly not an insurmountable task.

Lovie Gant with the LA County Registrar-Recorder’s Office assisting a Veteran in need of a copy of their birth certificate during the recent Veteran Document Day held at the West LA VA Welcome Center. Representatives from various public agencies were available to help Veterans get copies of important documents like birth certificates and ID cards.

West LA VA Welcomes 120 More Units of Veteran Housing

On May 2, 2023, elected officials, dignitaries, community leaders, advocates, Veterans and VA staff gathered at the West LA VA for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate two new permanent supportive housing buildings for formerly homeless Veterans on campus.

Veteran’s Garden Is Back in Bloom

At the Veteran’s Garden on the West LA VA campus, getting your hands in the dirt is a therapeutic exercise. After a hiatus, the blossoming space is coming back to life as a healing tool and nutritional resource for Veterans.

Whole Health Program Manager and Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Allen pulls carrots at the Veterans Garden

From Red Car to Purple Line: West LA VA’s Links to Rail

When President William McKinley visited the National Soldier’s Home on its dedication day in 1901, he would arrive by steam train. That line, later used by the Red Car, would be no more by 1933. That would be the last time the West LA VA campus would be accessible by train. This is soon to change.

On the left, the Streetcar Depot (or Building 66), present day. On the right, a rendering depicts the future West LA VA Purple/D Line station, located adjacent to the VA Medical Center.

Helping Veterans ‘Work Out’ Their Issues

Working out – particularly as part of a group – can be a healing experience, says Marine Corps Veteran Raymond Navarro, fitness facilitator and coach at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) on the West LA VA Campus.

Marine Corps Veterans Raymond Navarro (left) and Greg Becker (right) are fitness facilitators and coaches at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) where they help their fellow Veterans enhance their physical and mental health through exercise.

How is VA Working to End Veteran Homelessness?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is on a mission to end Veteran homelessness.