The 9 Line

Episode 84 - Dentists

Your teeth play a very important role in your life...not only do they help you chew and eat food, but they are also a big part of talking and speaking clearly, and your smile is one of the first things people notice about you when they meet you.  Keeping your teeth and gums healthy can also have many benefits to keeping other parts of your body in top condition.  The VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System has a full range of dental professionals here to help Veterans keep their smiles shining, but there can be some confusion about who can access dental care and at what level. On this episode of The 9 Line, we'll talk with two of our dental team about why it is so important to keep your oral health at the top of your personal maintenance checklist, who is eligible for what level of care within our dental clinic, and more.

Episode 83 - Whole Health Update

If you've listened to our show before, you've heard us talk at length about the VA's implementation of the Whole Health concept of caring for our Veterans.  Whole Health is an approach to care that supports Veteran health and well-being while centering around preventative education and finding out what matters to a Veteran.  This means a Veteran's health team will get to know them as a person, before working to develop a personalized health plan based on their values, needs, and goals.   April is Whole Health month, so with that in mind we're dedicating this episode of The 9 Line to speaking with a couple of members of our Whole Health staff about how the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System is continuing to integrate Whole Health into our care.

Episode 82 - Coaching Them Up

When a new year rolls around, it is a tradition for people to make resolutions to change the things they want to improve in their lives.  But usually, by the end of February, most resolutions have fallen by the wayside, waiting to be picked up again in 10 more months when the next January arrives.  But, did you know the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System has coaches who can help you with whatever part of your life you want to improve, year round, to help you stay committed to your health and lifestyle goals?  On this episode of “The 9 Line,” VASNHS’ biweekly podcast, Joshua Gray speaks with Lynn Burnham and Trinidad Rosas, two of our Whole Health Coaches, about the Circle of Health concept they use to keep people focused on their goals, how they can help you discover your path to a better you, and some of the populations they enjoy working with the most.

Episode 81 - A Sit-Down with VA's Veterans Experience Chief

This week, the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System played host to Mr. John Boerstler, the Chief Veterans Experience Officer for the Veterans Administration.  In his role, he oversees all of the surveys and customer service data we use to gauge how satisfied Veterans are with the care they recieve not only locally, but nationwide as well.  During his visit, he toured our North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, had the opportunity to meet with our staff and answer their questions about how the VA judges Veteran sentiment, and got a hands-on look at our GPS-enabled Wayfinding system to assist Veterans getting to their appointments. He also had a few moments to sit down with the crew of The 9 Line, talk about his journey to working for the VA, some of the ways we're looking to leverage technology to get more accurate and timely Veteran satisfaction data, and much more.

Episode 80 -Eating the Right Way

Eating well in this day and age can be a challenge…from large portion sizes when you go out to eat to highly processed foods in your kitchen when you’re cooking at home, many hurdles exist for those looking to live a healthy lifestyle where your body gets the nutrition it needs.  For Veterans, the task can be made even more difficult because the military lifestyle doesn’t always lead to great eating habits.  Fortunately for those Veterans, the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System has a wide variety of programs to help them unlearn those bad habits while giving them the skills to turn their kitchens at home into a place that helps them lead healthier lives.   On this episode of The 9 Line, we’ll speak with three of our dieticians who work every day with our Veterans about the programs available to those who want to improve what food goes into their bodies, what it takes to break some of those bad eating habits built up over the years, and what led them down the path to being nutritionists here at the VA.