Va:ie

The fifth episode of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem podcast, VHA:IE, focuses on how VA is helping Veterans reflect on and share their stories with their health providers, loved ones, and the community at large. On this episode, you will hear from the team behind a program that personalizes the healthcare experience by including a Veteran’s life story in their medical file, along with a project that aims to address how Veterans may confront death. You’ll also hear from a non-profit dance group that is helping restore Veterans' physical, mental, and emotional strength through workshops and public performances. The first program, My Life, My Story, is building a network of employees and volunteers who sit down with Veterans and then craft written life stories for inclusion in Veterans’ medical records. This allows Veterans to feel seen and heard and enables doctors to better understand the lives of those they care for. The program originated at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisco