Every day is Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor those who have worn the uniform of this great nation and show our gratitude for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. To all our veterans who call Southern Nevada home, thank you for protecting our liberty through your service in our armed forces.

At the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System our motto is “Here Every Day is Veterans Day.” With more than 2,200 employees — many of whom are veterans themselves — we strive to deliver the best care possible to more than 59,300 veterans who come from all walks of life and all eras of conflict.

From tending to basic health-care needs, to managing severe medical and mental health issues, our team works around the clock, coordinating a full-spectrum of comprehensive patient-centered care for those who access our services.

In fiscal 2016, this equated to providing more than 857,000 outpatient appointments, managing nearly 28,500 days of inpatient care, assisting with more than 23,000 Veterans Choice appointments in the community, and supporting more than 33,300 visits to our Emergency Department.

Additionally, whether it’s coping with addiction or Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, battling cancer, incarceration or homelessness, transitioning from military to civilian life, or tackling chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure — the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System offers an array of programs and services to help veterans improve their health and quality of life. We are here to assist our veterans as they venture on the path of life and provide an environment where they can walk alongside others who share similar military experiences.

We are privileged to live in a country where the cost of freedom as we all know it is not free, but paid for by our nation’s men and women in uniform — those who have served, those who have fought, and those who have been lost. Thank you to all our veterans who have manned the watch in defending the freedom and liberty that we all enjoy. We are proud to serve you and see it as our honor and duty to show our gratitude by providing our veterans with best timely, quality, safe and compassionate health care possible.

Peggy Kearns is the director/CEO for the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, which provides delivery of health care to more than 59,000 veterans and ensures outpatient and inpatient services are available to more than 158,000 veterans residing in an official catchment area of Clark, Lincoln and Nye counties.