Philadelphia VA Medical Center

01/26/2026

🎿❄️ Adaptive Winter Sports—VA Strong! ❄️🏂

This month, three of our showed what resilience looks like on the slopes of Top Mountain Adaptive Sports in Gettysburg, PA. Partnering with our Outpatient Recreation Therapy Service, these Veterans all amputees took on skiing and snowboarding using state-of-the-art adaptive equipment.

Guided by Recreation Therapist Larica Platt, LRT, CTRS, CARSS II, and the outstanding Two Top Mountain instructors, each Veteran discovered new ways to stay active, build confidence, and most importantly have fun. From bi-skis and mono-skis to outriggers and sit-boards, the tailored gear proved that there are no limits when passion meets possibility.

Why adaptive sports?
• Boosts balance, strength, and cardiovascular health
• Sharpens focus and decision-making
• Builds camaraderie and reduces social isolation
• Ignites the “I CAN” spirit in every participant

Huge thanks to Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports for their expert coaching and unwavering support, and to our Recreation Therapy team for making adventures like this possible. Your partnerships help us deliver Whole Health in motion—literally!

Swipe through the photos to see the smiles, high-fives, and powder-spray moments. (Shared with permission.)

Interested in future adaptive sports events? Reach out to our Recreation Therapy office at 215-823-5800 ext. 4507 or message us here. Let’s keep empowering Veterans to move, explore, and thrive on the slopes and beyond!

01/26/2026

Opening up about what you’re going through can make it easier to find support and prevent a crisis before it happens. Whenever you need to talk, the Veterans Crisis Line is here to listen.

Dial 988 then Press 1, chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.

01/26/2026

Combat Veterans: Your story is vital.

If you’ve deployed in support of combat operations, your experiences can help shape the future of Veteran health care. Take the new Military Experiences and Toxic Exposures Survey in your Million Veteran Program (MVP) online dashboard and contribute to groundbreaking research that could improve care for generations of Veterans.

Veterans may join MVP today and be part of the change. www.mvp.va.gov.

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

Just like you’d check on a friend, checking in with yourself can help you recognize when something’s off. The Veteran Self-Check Assessment makes it easier to get a quick read on how you’re doing.

Try it today: VetSelfCheck.org.

01/26/2026

We are very excited to announce that Chef Robert Irvine will be back for the 12th Annual Veterans Day Parade and Festival to be held on Sunday, November 8th 2026 with the team.

01/23/2026

Today, the Mu Beta Phi Military Fraternity donated 102 men’s and women’s three-quarter length warm, hooded winter coats just in time before the upcoming snow storm. The donation totaled $10,200.00. Our Chief of External & Congressional Affairs Rita Chappelle arranged for the donation which was received by our Chief of the Center for Development and Civic Engagement Joyce Kuwae. These beautiful coats, to be distributed by our social work and homeless programs, will truly help those Veterans most in need of a coat to protect them from the elements and the cold winter days ahead. Veterans helping their fellow Veterans demonstrates that the spirit of camaraderie remains alive and well.
We wish to thank Mu Beta Phi International Vice President Curtis Younger and Donnell Simmons, Mu Beta Phi Outreach Coordinator for the generous donation.
Beta Phi
Fraternities

01/23/2026

The VA MOVE! Coach app can help you work toward your new year’s resolutions of striving for a healthy weight. Your VA Dietitian is here for support.
https://ow.ly/raPm50XUcbu

01/20/2026

https://www.facebook.com/100019040483031/posts/1897278220916842/

Recovering from the effects of military s*xual trauma (MST) can be very difficult, but you don’t have to go through it alone. VA offers free, personalized support for Veterans who have experienced MST.

Learn more: Mentalhealth.va.gov/msthome/treatment.asp

01/19/2026

Today we honor the legacy, the sacrifices and the mission of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. four days after his birthday of January 15th.
Dr King stood for justice for all, equality, human rights and an end to segregation and the racial hatred that bred it!
He was a man of faith and determination in his fight. Not jail, threats, lies, or attacks on his person or his loved ones would move the needle of his determination to see a better America for all regardless of race, s*x, creed, ethnicity, age or ability. He stood in the face of hatred, not without fear at times, but despite it as he knew his cause was just!Only an assassin’s bullet stopped him, but not the movement he and others led.
On this National Holiday in his honor, let your service as a benefactor of Dr King’s sacrifice, continuously reflect what he stood for…peace, justice and equality for all as promised in the US Constitution.

01/16/2026

It’s not always easy to talk about su***de, but starting the conversation could save a life. If you don’t know what to say, start here: VeteransCrisisLine.net/CrisisConversationHandout.