Bay Pines VA Reaches Milestone in Support of Million Veteran Program
Bay Pines VA Healthcare System has reached its latest achievement, surpassing 23,000 Veterans registered as part of the U.S. Department of Affairs’ Million Veteran Program (MVP).
“Thank you so much for your years of commitment, energy and success,” offered MVP National Coordinator Katherine Solis, during her official announcement to leadership. “Your perseverance and efforts make it possible for MVP to fulfill its promise of generating key research findings that help improve Veteran health.”
Twelve years ago, the launch of MVP began with a goal to reach 1 million Veterans. To date, VA reports more than 9750-thousand Veterans have registered nationally. MVP is a national research program looking at how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect Veteran health and wellness. Medical research works best when researchers study large amounts of information from diverse groups of participants and, in some cases, narrow those groups to individuals who have experienced similar things; like Veterans who served at the same time, in similar areas.
“I am extremely proud, but not surprised, that we have surpassed the 23,000 Veteran milestone,” said Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Director/CEO Paul M. Russo. “We have an amazing team who remains committed to serving Veterans and raising awareness about the importance of registration in MVP, along with the impact every Veteran makes as part of the program.”
Bay Pines VA serves approximately 110,000 Veteran annually, across ten counties in southwest Florida, a state that ranks third nationally in Veteran population. These numbers, according to Russo, provide tremendous opportunity for Veterans to be an integral part of health care support for those who served yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
According to VA’s MVP website, researchers are making progress with health care-related data to support Veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Additionally, ongoing results from Veterans continue to generate more details on Gulf-War-related illnesses and the impact of toxic exposures.
Veterans interested in joining MVP can stop by the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, building 100, first floor, room 1A-103H, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. You can also call 866-441-6075 or go to mvp.va.gov to learn more or join online.