VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

12/19/2024

Starting in 2025, you'll need a Login.gov or ID.me account to log in to My HealtheVet -- and we can help you prepare!

To learn more and for help creating a Login.gov or ID.me account, stop by the atrium of building 71 on our H.J. Heinz III campus on Monday, Dec. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your smartphone, a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID, Social Security number, and your Veteran Health Identification Card.

Can't make it? Learn more about the change at https://www.va.gov/initiatives/prepare-for-vas-secure-sign-in-changes/

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

12/19/2024

If Christmas is a painful time for you, consider joining our Blue Christmas Service today, Dec. 19, at noon to share thoughts, sacred texts and music acknowledging hope for those who mourn and struggle. For details, please see https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health-care/events/75118.

12/18/2024

Great news! Our Monroeville VA Outpatient Clinic is one step closer to being renamed for WWII Veteran Henry Parham!

Parham, a Wilkinsburg native, served with the U.S. Army’s 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. The 320th was the only all-Black unit to land at Omaha Beach on D-Day.

Parham died in 2021 at the age of 99. He and his wife, Ethel, were longtime VA Pittsburgh volunteers. They helped with bingo games, cookouts and field trips for Veteran patients at our former Highland Drive campus and our University Drive campus.

Veteran Henry Parham is recognized during a D-Day commemoration ceremony outside of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland in 2019. Parham served with the 320th Anti-Aircreft Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only all-Black unit to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

12/18/2024

If you have an urgent medical or mental health question, call a VISN 4 triage nurse at 1-833-835-3874. Our nurse clinical contact center is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

12/17/2024

If Christmas is a painful time for you, consider joining our Blue Christmas Service at noon on Dec. 19 to share thoughts, sacred texts and music acknowledging hope for those who mourn and struggle. For details, please see https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health-care/events/75118.

12/16/2024

A huge “thank you” you to the thousands of volunteers who turned out for Wreaths Across America this past Saturday at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.

12/15/2024

“The VA Oakland facility is full of cheerful voices, helpful people and smiles. When you walk in, it's contagious. You relax." -- Veteran's comment on care received at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.

Are you a Veteran who is not enrolled in VA health care? To find out if you are eligible to enroll in VA health care:
• Call VA toll-free at 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Apply online at https://www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply/
• Download the mailable VA Form 10-10EZ at https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-10-10ez/. Send the completed 10-10EZ with a copy of your DD214 to VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Attn: Patient Registration, University Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15240.

12/14/2024

Looking for ways to celebrate an alcohol-free holiday with friends?

Check out these recipes for guilt- and alcohol-free beverages at https://www.nutrition.va.gov/Recipes/Beverages/InfusedDrinksSpritzers.asp.

For more healthy holiday tips, Veterans enrolled with us for health care can call 412-822-3000, press 0 and ask to speak with a dietitian.

12/13/2024

Have your say!

If you are the caregiver for a Veteran, VA wants to hear from you about its proposed changes to its Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC). The updates aim to improve PCAFC, but VA wants your feedback to help shape the rule.

• To learn about the proposed changes, visit https://news.va.gov/136924/proposed-changes-va-caregiver-support-program/.
• To comment on the proposed changes, click “submit a public comment” at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/06/2024-28079/amendments-to-the-program-of-comprehensive-assistance-for-family-caregivers.

You do not have to give your name to leave a comment. Anyone can comment, not just caregivers.

12/13/2024

If you use My HealtheVet, you must have an ID.me or Login.gov account to log in after Jan. 31. You won’t be able to log in to My HealtheVet with a username and password.

If you would like our My HealtheVet coordinator to help you create an ID.me or Login.gov account:
• Call 412-360-6838 to make an appointment.
• Visit our My HealtheVet office on the first floor of our University Drive campus, Room 1C-107, across from the main elevators. Bring your driver’s license/state ID, VA Health ID Card, Social Security card, and a smart phone. The office is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except federal holidays.

MyHealtheVet is making this change to maintain the highest security and protect your health information on its site. To learn more about the change and how you can create an ID.me or Login.gov account, visit https://www.va.gov/initiatives/prepare-for-vas-secure-sign-in-changes/.

12/12/2024

Shoutout to high school students from Fox Chapel Area School District for visiting Veterans in our Community Living Center earlier this month to spread holiday cheer! The students decorated trees and common areas and put on live orchestral and jazz performances.

12/11/2024

Prepping holiday meals? To avoid spreading foodborne illnesses, check out these safety tips for preparing and handling food. https://news.va.gov/136793/keep-your-food-safe-this-holiday-season/

For more healthy holiday tips, Veterans enrolled with us for health care can call 412-822-3000, press 0 and ask to speak with a dietitian.

Ensure a happy, healthy holiday season with these food safety tips.

12/10/2024

Losing weight can be very hard, especially if diets, exercise or medications haven’t worked for you. Bariatric surgery is a way to help you lose weight and can improve your health and how you feel overall. It’s not a cure for obesity, but it helps change your digestive system so your stomach can hold less food. It also influences hormones that control your hunger, which can help you reach a healthy weight.

Having weight loss surgery could make your New Year’s resolution possible. Take control of your journey to losing weight. Contact your primary care provider today to start the process.

Primary Care Call Center:
Toll-free, 866-482-7488 (choose option 2)
Direct, 412-822-3000

For more details about our bariatric surgery program, visit https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health-care/programs/bariatric-surgery/ -is-bariatric-surgery

12/09/2024

If you’re a Veteran in crisis, or you’re concerned about a Veteran who is, call the Veterans Crisis Line now to reach caring, qualified VA responders. Dial 988 then Press 1, chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.

12/09/2024

Our Veterans Town Hall is today, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m.: for details on how to join in person, online or by phone, visit https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health-care/events/74408/.

12/08/2024

We now offer a no-cost blood test to help you understand how your body responds to medication. To learn more, visit https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health-care/programs/pharmacogenomics-pgx/.

12/08/2024

If you are having difficulty coping with the demands of your life, you are experiencing stress. Everyone has stress. While some challenge in life is healthy, too much stress can create problems. Learn how to identify the signs of stress and manage it with VA's help. https://www.prevention.va.gov/Healthy_Living/Manage_Stress.asp