Announcing Accessing TeleHealth Through Local Area Stations (ATLAS)

Primary care and specialty providers such as mental health, rehabilitative services, pharmacy, podiatry, and gastroenterology, are accessible to Veterans via telehealth. Providers who are specialists in fields like pulmonary and cardiology travel to the outer islands, but sometimes Veterans want to talk with a doctor right away. Telehealth can help.

“I used telehealth before when I had a dermatology concern,” said Veteran and Health Systems Specialist for the Deputy Chief of Staff Sedra Graves. “I was able to send some pictures to a dermatologist and have them review the images and let me know if I needed to be seen in person. It was very convenient.”

Dermatology consults and many other types of care are available through Telehealth. One program that hopes to greatly advance Veterans access to care where they live is the Accessing Telehealth Through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) program. This program involves using a room in a community center or other non-government area with an internet connection and camera. Veterans can do everything from medication reconciliation with pharmacy to a regular doctor’s appointment. With locations in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, the ATLAS stations are a great way for Veterans of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marians (CNMI) to access VA care.

Existing patients can request an ATLAS appointment through their primary care provider. Veterans who have not yet enrolled in VA care and who would like to take advantage of this new health care option may call 1-800-214-1306 and speak with our enrollment and eligibility department.

-VA-

MEDIA: If you would like to cover the event, contact Amy Rohlfs, Public Affairs Officer VA Pacific Islands Health Care System at 808-208-5544