Los Banos Veterans Hall open house to showcase local healthcare resources for veterans
The Los Banos Veterans Memorial Hall is opening its doors to the community Nov. 20 for an open house that will showcase the resources available for local veterans.
The 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event will also include a ribbon cutting commemorating the recent launch of Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Solutions (ATLAS) services to the Los Banos community.
ATLAS is part of a telehealth program by the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs that seeks to aid the nearly 9 million veterans who receive care through the VA. The Los Banos VFW Post #2487 is the only ATLAS site in California.
“Our ATLAS facility has had more patients than any other in the U.S.,” said Los Banos VFW Post 2487 Commander Michael Hughes.
That high number of patients since ATLAS kicked off in Los Banos in spring underscores how the telehealth services meet the needs of local veterans living in a rural community, Hughes said. The initiative is a joint project between the local VFW and American Legion posts.
The initiative partners with public and private organizations to bolster underserved veterans’ access to VA healthcare by offering convenient locations to receive VA care closer to home via telehealth. ATLAS minimizes hurdles like long travel times to appointments and poor internet connectivity at home.
“Our veterans here were having to go long distances,” Hughes said. “(ATLAS) allows veterans to go to medical appointments, to talk with counselors, to talk with nutritionists and other providers at a soundproof room where they can carry it out without having to drive an hour or two hours to see their doctors.”
ATLAS is intended to address the challenges of accessing healthcare in rural areas by providing comfortable, private spaces equipped with reliable internet for VA providers to securely meet with veterans. There are 12 active ATLAS locations across the U.S. so far.
The Nov. 20 open house will showcase ATLAS and other resources for Los Banos veterans. “We’ve gone through great efforts to get services for veterans in Los Banos,” Hughes said. “We want to showcase those (services).”
The event will take place at 615 E Street and will include a lunch for veterans and any other members of the public in attendance.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
