Your next visit to VA medical center may be in cyberspace

BONUS-FOR THE VETERAN OF THE VETERAN SHARE OF THE DAY

Your next visit to VA medical center may be in cyberspace
By Leo Shane III
Wednesday, Aug 23
A veteran uses a virtual reality headset during a health care pilot program at the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center in March 2023. (VA photo)

The future of Veterans Affairs health care may not be in brick-and-mortar federal hospitals or private-sector clinics. A growing number of patients are headed into cyberspace instead.

VA officials have seen a dramatic growth in virtual reality pilot programs in the last year, adding 17 new pilot programs across 120 VA medical centers. Among them are programs where veterans don a headset to walk through a surgery ahead of the actual operation, or to travel to cyber campfires to chat with fellow veterans to de-stress, or even to go on virtual fishing trips with their peers to exercise their aging muscles.

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG Michael Noll Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Cpl Vic Burk SGT Charlie Lee] Sgt (Join to see) PV2 Larry Sellnow SPC (Join to see) Amn Dale Preisach SGT Ruben Lozada 1SG Patrick Burke PO2 Marco Monsalve Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Kim Patterson] SFC Ralph E Kelley PO1 Lyndon Thomas SPC (Join to see) SSG William Jones Maj Ronald Scarpa SPC Robert Coventry