"You are motivating me to keep going"
On Sept. 13, 2023, Melvin Gatewood was named the recipient of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) National Peer Support Specialist Award.
Out of nearly 1,400 peer support staff members who currently work in VHA, Gatewood was selected as the 2023 National Peer Specialist of the Year. It was clear to the VHA National Peer Specialist of the Year Award selection committee how deserving Gatewood was for this prestigious national award.
Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations, RimaAnn Nelson, praised Gatewood for his accomplishments and dedication to VHA and presented him with the award. In addition to his award, VHA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention adorned Gatewood with a plaque recognizing his exemplary service.
Gatewood has worked as a peer support specialist for six years; three years within primary care mental health integration (PCHMI) and three years in the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) Homeless Veteran Program, and every day he wakes up thankful for the opportunity to serve his fellow Veterans.
Peer support specialists provide Veterans with one-on-one peer counseling and support groups. They are trained to help others achieve specific life and recovery goals. Peer support specialists are those who are actively engaged in their own recovery who are passionate about aiding Veterans to fulfill their personal missions.
Gatewood earnestly professed, “I use my personal experience to encourage and motivate Veterans on how recovery is real and attainable.” Through his actions, Gatewood pursues to uphold the mission and vision of VA while tactfully uses his personal story to relate with Veterans who receive their care at VA TVHS.
A Veteran who Gatewood worked with approached him during the last leg of his VA Recovery Ruck and told him, “Even though I cannot walk with you I will follow you in my car because you are motivating me to keep going.”
“That moment was powerful and gave me strength to keep walking even when I was tired,” Gatewood said.
“I have been working for VA since 2008,” Gatewood said during his acceptance speech. “I started off at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, went to Jackson, Mississippi, and came to Tennessee Valley in 2013. I put a lot of sweat and tears in this organization not for my own pat on the back but for the love I have for my fellow Veterans. To receive this award and to be honored in this way shows confirmation that I am here for a true purpose although there were times, I wanted to change my path and move on. This is a true honor.”
“Working with Melvin has been a true joy not only for the Veterans he serves, but also for the PCMHI staff and primary care nurses,” Dr. Chelsea Rothschild said, Gatewood’s supervisor. “To meet Melvin is to truly know Melvin. He walks, eats, breathes, sleeps, and dreams recovery and is living proof of it! We are so very proud of him.”
Veterans can ask for a referral for peer support services from their VA mental health care provider. If peer support services for a certain mental health problem is not available at a local VA, a Veteran may be referred to a peer support service organization in their community.