VA highlights Arkansas Veteran's use of telehealth to avoid long trips to care

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published a story describing how one Army Veteran uses the agency's virtual care options to access health care without traveling long distances.

According to the VA, Bernard Williams, who is in his 60s, lives in Arkansas about 65 miles from the nearest VA medical center in Memphis. He had his first telehealth appointment in December 2025 through VA Video Connect, the department's secure videoconferencing app. The VA said he has since used virtual care for general surgery, nutrition and the MOVE! Weight Management program appointments, usually by smartphone from home.

Williams told the VA that an in-person visit could take about four hours of his day. "The level of care hasn't dropped off because of using telehealth," he said.

The department said Williams also uses the Secure Messaging feature of My HealtheVet on VA.gov to contact his care team between appointments, including once to correct a weight he had reported incorrectly by 10 pounds.

According to the VA, Williams, who manages PTSD, said virtual visits help him avoid long waits, long walks through the facility and crowded spaces. He said the virtual group format of the MOVE! program lets him learn from other Veterans. The VA directed Veterans seeking more information to its VA Telehealth Services page.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/536