Wilmington VA Medical Center South Jersey Outreach Team

About Wilmington VA Medical Center South Jersey Outreach Team

Wilmington VA Outreach Team

The Wilmington VA Medical Center’s Outreach Team was established 2 years ago by the hiring of Mark Taylor, Jacqueline Hinker, and myself Patrick Carney. Our team was (and in many ways still is) an oddity for the VA. Mainly because we were 3 people who had very different experiences and qualifications for a job that would usually be filled  by someone with a public affairs, marketing, or social work background. Instead we are a Veteran’s spouse, a former Army recruiter, and an Iraqi Freedom combat Veteran. More importantly, though we all lived on the VA patient side of the preverbally fence for many years before we were VA employees. We have been advocates since the day we said “I do” or when we were handed our DD214s. We have helped too many homeless, fought our own demons, and draped to many flags on caskets to ever turn any Veteran away. Our everyday lives are the reason we have been so successful in such a short time.

We have been able to create relationships… no friendships. With municipal, county, and state Veteran services. We are welcomed at most if not all Veteran Service Organizations. Helped develop and implement or respective county’s Veteran Diversion Programs. Scaled and implemented a proven Law Enforcement and Veteran Engagement Training. We opened the locked door that was the New Jersey National Guard, to where now a Wilmington VA employee is at every monthly National Guard Primary Health Assessment (PHA)  and any Pre / Post deployment Health Assessment.  Attendance at these PHAs happens in conjunction with attending yellow ribbon events. We are at the service members mandatory health screenings where  we can ensure that each and every Guardsmen in the State of New Jersey has spoken to the VA on some level or another.

Awards