VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

09/04/2025

Thank you to all our volunteers for helping us pack our baskets for our upcoming drive-thru baby shower and resource fair for our southern Colorado women veterans and their families. If you aren’t enrolled in our maternity care program, please, contact 720-857-5371 to get enrolled.

09/04/2025

Meet your Share Medical Appointment Team!

Have Diabetes or High Blood Pressure?

Schedule into a shared medical appointment, with four specialty appointments in one, at the front desk of the second floor (2100 and 2300 desks) of the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic.

For high blood pressure – The first or third Wednesday of every month, from 2 to 3 p.m.
For diabetes – The second or fourth Wednesday of every month, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Contact the schedulers and/or your PACT team for more.

09/04/2025

Ron Tomocik, a US Army Veteran, suffered a major stroke that affected different areas of his brain, like his short-term memory, but throughout it all, he never gave up on his music. Now Tomocik performs and competes locally and nationally in the Veterans Creative Arts Festival. Tomocik is one of 3 Veterans at VA Eastern Colorado who received top marks in the 2024 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF), for their art submissions.

Visit our VA ECHCS YouTube page to hear Ron story.
https://youtu.be/CuyogpiZr8c

Nationally, VA facilities hold local competitions in art, creative writing, music, dance and drama divisions as a part of Veteran’s treatment at the VA. Over 150 categories and 6,000 entries are entered each year. Medalists from local competitions advance to the National competition where they compete in their category with veterans nationwide. First place winners of the national competition are invited to attend NVCAF.

If you are interested in getting involved with creative arts at VA, talk with your primary care provider about entering a creative arts consultation, and learn how the arts can impact you.

Across the country each year, Veterans enrolled at VA health care facilities compete in a local creative arts competition. The competition includes categorie...

09/01/2025

Doctor Michael Erlanger, VA ECHCS Ophthalmology Surgeon, was one of nine VA ECHCS physicians selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

09/01/2025

Happy Labor Day from VA ECHCS!

All VA outpatient clinics and administrative offices will be closed today, Sept. 1. Outpatient services will resume normal business hours on Sept. 2.

Inpatient and emergency services will remain open during the holiday. In case of emergency, please call 911, go to the nearest ER or visit the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center Emergency Department.

The Clinical Contact Center is OPEN all federal holidays to provide scheduling, nurse triage, pharmacy services and acute virtual visits. Health Administration staff, Pharmacy Technicians, and Registered Nurses will be available and can engage Veterans for virtual care with medical providers within the Clinical Contact Center, if needed.

If patients need immediate assistance, they should call the VA Health Connect at 833-983-0484 for routine issues, or 911 for emergencies.

08/29/2025

Marine Veteran Elias M. relied on intense training to cope. When health issues made that unsafe, Whole Health gave him tools to heal. https://www.va.gov/eastern-colorado-health-care/stories/whole-health-helps-marine-veteran-find-tools-to-heal

08/27/2025

After a life-changing motorcycle accident left him with an above-knee amputation, Army Veteran and educator Steven Hutchcraft struggled with traditional prosthetic sockets. Severe skin issues and limited mobility made daily life—and returning to work—nearly impossible.

But that all changed when Steve became the first candidate to undergo Osseointegration Rehabilitation at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, a new program in collaboration with community care providers.

Osseointegration—a cutting-edge procedure where a prosthetic implant is anchored directly into the bone, eliminating the use of a traditional socket—offered Steve a renewed sense of mobility, comfort, and independence.

Visit our ECHCS YouTube page to follow Steve’s rehabilitation journey, the resilience it required, and the VA team that supported him every step of the way.

After a life-changing motorcycle accident left him with an above-knee amputation, Army Veteran and educator Steven Hutchcraft struggled with traditional pros...

08/26/2025

The local chapter of the organization Pin-Ups For Vets came to visit our inpatient veterans at the VA Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center to spread some cheer and pass out their 2026 calendar! We are grateful for their visit and support of our veterans.

08/25/2025

Doctor Paul Varosy, VA ECHCS Cardiac Electrophysiology Director, was one of eight VA ECHCS physicians selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

08/19/2025

John Mosley, already a pilot, was assigned to artillery by the Army. He pushed back, wrote to Congress and became a Tuskegee Airman. Learn who he was:
https://www.va.gov/eastern-colorado-health-care/programs/lieutenant-colonel-john-w-mosley-a-life-of-service/

08/18/2025

Doctor Margaret Fitzpatrick, VA ECHCS Infectious Diseases Physician, was one of eight VA ECHCS physicians selected by the Denver-based magazine publication, 5280 Magazine, which recently released its list of the top doctors in the Denver area.

08/08/2025

The VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS) Office of Emergency Management recently hosted a pivotal training event aimed at bolstering regional emergency response capabilities. This initiative brought together a diverse group of federal, state, and private healthcare partners to enhance collaboration and preparedness for mass casualty or patient surge events.

The training, centered around the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center's (RMRVAMC) role as a Federal Coordinating Center (FCC), saw participation from key community partners including UC Health, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, the University of Colorado, Deloitte Consulting, VSS Logistics, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the VA Office of Emergency Management, and a variety of VA ECHCS employees.

Participants engaged in hands-on sessions focused on critical patient transport operations. They practiced using specialized equipment such as litters, carts, and stands, with weighted training dummies simulating the realistic handling and transportation of non-ambulatory patients.

The training scenario simulated emergency response procedures for patients arriving via aircraft at Denver International Airport, victims of a natural disaster or mass casualty event from elsewhere in the United States. These patients would undergo triage and medical care by VA staff and logistics at the airport before being distributed to appropriate hospitals throughout the Denver metropolitan area based on bed availability and specialized care capabilities.

This collaborative effort significantly enhanced regional preparedness by providing essential education on patient transport equipment and procedures. It also strengthened partnerships between the various healthcare entities responsible for emergency medical response coordination in the Denver region.

The training aligns with the VA's fourth mission, “to assist the nation in times of emergencies and disaster,” ensuring that the region is better equipped to handle large-scale emergencies.