The 9 Line

Episode 12 - Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Coronavirus is surging just as the holidays are about to hit, and colder weather is driving everyone indoors.  However, there is room for optimism as multiple vaccine candidates are showing promise they'll play a huge role in curtailing the virus.  But, we're not in the clear yet.  In this pre-holiday episode of The 9 Line, we'll talk to Dr. Jason Dazley, our infectious disease expert, and Dr. Myron Kung, our head pulmonologist, about how you can help keep yourself safe during the holidays and what is on the horizon with a potential vaccine.

Episode 11 - Quit It

Once an ingrained part of military culture, services have been de-emphasizing smoking for years now, both through promotion of smoking cessation classes and through regulations restricting where one can smoke.  However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, tobacco use among Veterans is still higher than tobacco use in the general population.  

On this episode of The 9 Line, we'll speak with Dr. Jason Mouritsen and Dr. Melissa LaVan about what causes Veterans to be more likely to use tobacco, what the VA is doing to help Veterans kick the habit, and the upcoming Great American Smokeout.

Episode 10 - You Are What You Eat

If there is one thing Americans love to do, it is eat, and eat a lot.  In fact, over 75% of Veterans in America are classified as either overweight or obese.  The VA has a number of nationwide programs aimed at getting Veterans putting healthier foods and more reasonable portion sizes on their plates.  On this week's episode of The 9 Line, we'll talk to VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System's MOVE Program Coordinator Charlene Degan, and Cook Supervisor Antone Anthony about some of the options available to Veterans if they want to get better foods into their diet and also about how we are taking some out-of-the-ordinary steps to make sure our inpatient Veterans are getting nutritious, but appetizing, meals.

Episode 9 - Caring for Our Veterans

The VA's Caregiver Support program exists to provide assistance to those who care for Veterans who can't care for themselves.  This assistance can take the form of training and education, mental health counseling, and even financial stipends and other care-related compensation.  On this episode of The 9 Line, we'll speak with Tianna Edler and Sheri Shileika about the program, who's eligible for it, what the benefits are, and some of the expanded eligibility changes on the way for the program.

Episode 8 - One Is Too Many

Every day, almost 20 Veterans make the decision to end their own lives.  However, on average 14 of those Veterans are not connected to VA care in any way.  It's the mission of VA Suicide Prevention to reach out and help those Veterans.  In this episode of The 9 Line, we talk to Tim Jobin, our Chief of Mental Health and Keva Rice, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, about how we're trying to expand mental health services to more Veterans contemplating suicide, some of the challenges in dissuading Veterans from taking their own lives, and what it is going to take to bring 20 down to zero.

Episode 7 - Pharmacy

One of the busiest parts of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System is our Pharmacy.  Taking 1,200 phone calls a day and filling over 1.5 million prescriptions a year, it's safe to say every Veteran we serve will deal with our Pharmacy at some point.  October is American Pharmacists Month throughout the nation, and in preparation we talk to Dr. Hyo Ju Kim and Dr. Roseann Visconti about how the Pharmacy serves our Veterans, how Pharmacy has had to adapt during COVID-19, and a little bit about why they chose to be Pharmacists.

Episode 6 - Flu Shot Season

Every fall, Americans go to clinics and pharmacies to get their annual flu shot to help protect them from a disease that impacts millions of people every year.  This year, Americans with not only fending off the flu, but also have to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  On this latest episode of The 9 Line, we'll talk to Dr. Maia Carter, Chief of Primary Care and Dr. Cynthia Garner, Nurse Practitioner, about how the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare system is dealing with this double-shot of disease, why the flu shots are still important, and we'll talk about how what we're doing to make sure every Veteran gets the flu shot. 

Episode 5 - View from the Top

Medical care in the COVID-19 world is an ever-changing process.  New and emerging information means the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System has to be agile and responsive to provide the best care we can to our Veterans.  On this episode of The Nine Line, we're joined by Mr. Bill Caron, VASNHS Executive Director, and Dr Ramu Komanduri, Chief of Staff, to talk about some of the changes we face and to give you an idea of where things are headed.

Episode 4 - Help Is Out There

There's an ever-increasing emphasis on Mental Health treatment in both the military itself, and in care the VA provides Veterans.  Over the past years, we've seen a large expansion on not only the services provided, but also how those services can be delivered.  In this episode of The 9 Line, we talk with Dr. Nicole Anders and Mr. Tim Jobin about Mental Health in the time of COVID-19, overcoming the stigma of seeking treatment, and some tips about how you can keep your balance in these trying times.

Episode 3 - VA Phone Home

Medicine has almost always been a face-to-face endeavor, but as technology has evolved, "seeing your doctor" has become something that doesn't require you to actually be in the same room together through telehealth visits.

On this episode of The 9 Line, we'll talk to Dr. Lowryanne Vick, the Manager of VASNHS' Telehealth Program on what telehealth is, how we're using it, and how COVID-19 has spurred a change in how medicine is delivered.