Stories
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System top stories.
VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (HPACT) has upgraded and expanded in downtown LA’s Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center (LAACC) at 351 E. Temple Street from a fourth-floor shared space to an exclusive, significantly larger area on the first floor.

Army Veteran Anthony Robinson has embarked on a path of recovery, emerging from a 45-year struggle with addiction to cocaine and methamphetamines. Today, he stands with 15 months of sobriety under his belt, leaving behind the shadows of his past for a brighter future.

The New Directions Veterans Choir is orchestrating more than just harmonies. The members are teaching active-duty military service members and Veterans worldwide that it’s OK to not feel OK.

If the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles has left you longing for some time in nature, you’re in luck! Veterans are eligible for a free lifetime pass that provides access to over 2,000 federal recreation areas, including many national parks within driving distance of the L.A. area.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough met virtually with 20 Veterans experiencing homelessness at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center on Nov. 16, 2023, to directly address their concerns and gather firsthand feedback about how VA can better meet their needs.

The Veteran population in the U.S. is growing older, and quickly. In 1970, only 7.2% of Veterans were 65 and older, but as of 2020, that number had climbed to 49%, or 8.1 million American Veterans, according to the Census Bureau.

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) established a multi-disciplinary Food Security Committee in October 2023, to help generate a plan to reduce the number of Veterans struggling to access enough healthy food.

Marine Corps Veteran George Hill rose from being homeless and struggling with addiction to becoming a valued VA employee, a passionate advocate for Veterans, a contestant on “America’s Got Talent,” performing at the 127th Rose Parade, and booking choir gigs around the country.

At the age of 60, Army Veteran Kassandra Lombard found herself homeless. Due to past trauma stemming from her military service, the former medical laboratory technician never identified as a Veteran or sought help from VA, and spent nearly four decades struggling with substance use.

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Care, Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (CTRS) team received the Robert L. Jesse Award for Innovation Nov. 2 at the Veteran Health Administration Innovation Experience Conference in Washington D.C.

