MVAA certifies Oaklawn Hospital as Michigan Veteran Connector

Statewide outreach initiative aims to better serve veterans and their families

LANSING, MI – The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) has designated Oaklawn Hospital an official Michigan Veteran Connector for its role in serving military veterans.

The MVAA’s Michigan Veteran Connector initiative identifies and cultivates community partnerships to simultaneously broaden referral capabilities for Michigan veterans and connect them to the best possible resources regardless of the area in which they reside.

The initiative is part of the SAMHSA Governor’s Challenge, which looks at ways reduce suicide in our service members, veterans and their families. Health care facilities like Oaklawn can help by asking ‘Have you served?’ during intake or admissions and then starting the referral process as appropriate, noted Zaneta Adams, MVAA director and chair of the Michigan Governor’s Challenge team.

“We congratulate Oaklawn Hospital for becoming a certified Michigan Veteran Connector,” Adams said. “Based on our work through the Governor’s Challenge program, we know that the sooner we identify and connect our Michigan veterans to services and resources, the statistically lower the risk for self-harming behaviors including suicide.”

Oaklawn Hospital is in Marshall, Michigan, and has been actively engaged for the past several months in the Michigan Veteran Connector certification process. This includes training for care managers, registering in the Governor’s Challenge Psych Armor Training Portal and using veteran-centric toolkits.

“The veteran population is one that not only needs our service, but deserves it,” said Morgan Albright, BSN, RN, Director of Case Management and Care Management at Oaklawn Hospital. “This certification was something that Oaklawn felt we could do to help support our veterans and raise awareness.”

To learn more about the Michigan Veteran Connector initiative, email mvaastrategy@michigan.gov. Veterans who need assistance or want to explore if they are fully participating in all their earned benefits can call 1-800-MICH-VET (1-800-642-4838) or visit www.michigan.gov/mvaa.

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About the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Created by Executive Order in 2013, MVAA is the central coordinating agency for Michigan veterans and their families, providing support, care, advocacy and service. The agency works with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, state departments, county agencies and community and veterans service organizations throughout the state. The agency operates the Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center, a 24/7/365 call center in partnership with Michigan 211. By calling 1-800-MICH-VET (1-800-642-4838) veterans, family members and service providers can get information and access a comprehensive network of resources and services. Learn more at Michigan.gov/MVAA.

About Oaklawn Hospital: Oaklawn was founded in 1925 as a 12-bed hospital in a residential home, funded by a group of visionary philanthropists. Now, almost ten decades later, we’ve evolved into a highly regarded regional health care organization, licensed for 77 acute care beds and a 17-bed inpatient psychiatric unit. We’ve continued to be an independently owned not-for-profit hospital, with our main campus residing on the same site as the original hospital, providing facilities, equipment, and technology that are usually only found at larger health systems. We enjoy a reputation for advancing medicine and providing compassionate, personal care. Our service area includes Calhoun County and parts of Branch and Eaton counties with a medical staff of more than 300 providers representing over 55 specialties. Learn more at oaklawnhospital.org.