Louisville Veteran finds way to serve again, this time through research.
As a career retired US Army Veteran and now Respiratory Therapist for Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Charlotte Smith knows the value of paying it forward. This desire to continue helping others is what drew her to join VA’s Million Veteran Program.
Veteran Smith is 1 of the 10,000 Veterans from Robley Rex VA Medical Center to join the Million Veteran Program (MVP), VA’s largest research effort. MVP is working to improve Veteran lives by studying how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect health. Over 1,000,000 Veterans across the nation have already joined MVP.
“I really wanted to participate in this study because as a VA health-care employee myself, I know how much research can benefit the Veterans that we serve,” said Smith about why she joined.
“I just want to personally thank everyone that participates in this program. Your participation has allowed us to better understand how medications can affect our health on a daily basis which has led to the overall improvement of how we provide healthcare to the Veterans we serve - we can’t thank you enough,” said Shataya Vaughn, Program Coordinator – Million Veterans Program (MVP).
What it means to join the Million Veteran Program
Veterans can join MVP at a participating VA facility, like Robley Rex VA Medical Center, or online at www.mvp.va.gov. Participation in MVP is entirely voluntary.
Joining MVP involves:
- Filling out surveys through the mail or online about health and lifestyle
- Providing a blood sample, either by mail or in-person at a participating VA facility
- Granting MVP secure access to health records on an ongoing basis
- Agreeing to future contact by MVP for additional research opportunities
To learn more and join today, visit www.mvp.va.gov or call 866-441-6075 to schedule an appointment.