Posted: March 25, 2021 --- by Post Commander Christophersen
The
agenda for the VFW Post 3348 meeting on April 7th will include further
nominations and the election of our 2021-2022 Post Officers. After the 1stround on nominations, the nominees are:
·
Post Commander: Carl "Chris”
Christophersen
·
Sr Vice Commander:
James "Jim” Peterson
·
Jr Vice Commander:
Thomas "Tom” Nasky
·
Quartermaster: Thomas
"Tom” Fermstad
·
Chaplain: Tiffany "Tink”
Bothell
·
3-Year Trustee: Eli Smith
We
will bring up the VFW District #2 Fundraiser which is to occur on Sat, May 15th@ the Rainier VFW Post in the late afternoon and early evening. It will be
take-out because we cannot trust that the COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted
by then. Tickets are $20 each, the Post will pay half.
The
meal will be:
·
Chicken or Meat Loaf
or both
·
Roasted Potato
·
Green Beans
·
Brownie
We
will also elect 3 Delegates to the VFW Washington State convention in June 2021
--- and 1 Delegate to the National Convention.
We
will discuss our Memorial Day Buddy Poppy event in May 28-29 (Fri-Sat).
# # #
February 18, 2021 --- by Post Commander Christophersen
I
arrived at the VA Hospital, earlier today, about 9:30am. My appointment was not until 10:45am
but I wanted to be sure I was not late. I
pulled into the lower parking area where, in the past, I have found a spot
about 50% of the time. All spots require a Disabled Pass but then all the
veterans parking there have those. As
I drove in, my first clue that there were no available spots was the steady stream
of cars coming out --- said clue was soon confirmed.
I
went back out to get on the normal path that spirals upwards for 4 levels to
the top of the VA parking garage. I quickly realized that it was going to be a
while before I found an available spot --- as there were 6 cars in front of me,
traveling at 2 mph. After
3 levels of no joy, I was just hoping that there was room on the top.
I had seen a
sign on the way in that overflow space was available at the South parking lot. We
were stalled a tad when some genius decided to do a U-turn. Finally,
at the 4th level, I found a spot. When I got to Bldg 101 and walked
in, I was screened, given my yellow bracelet, and told to come back 5 minutes before
my appointment. If I desired, I could wait on the 4th floor.
I
walked over to the main VA building to get a bite to eat in the canteen. Afterwards,
I walked back to Bldg 101 to go wait on the 4th floor. While there,
I had to use the Men’s room. For the first time in my life, I found myself
looking at a one-piece toilet. No lid. Not a joyous moment as my physical requirement
demanded that I sit down. Yuk☹☹☹
When
it was my turn, I went back downstairs and was told to fill out some paperwork.
When that was done, I was guided to a table where some fellow gave me my
COVID-19 vaccine shot. I did not even feel it. I
was then taken to a large room, given a timer, which had been set for 15 minutes,
and told to sit down.
When the timer went off, I was told. I was to turn it off, stand
up, put the timer on my chair and wait to be called. I
did all that, confirmed that I felt fine and was told that I could leave. I did
notice a slight soreness in my left arm on the way home. Now I do not feel any
soreness or any other sensation. It was 11:00am when I pulled out of the VA
garage.
# # #
December
23, 2020--- Dr. Chris Vanderwalker, Medical Director, VA Puget Sound Health Care System
We
plan to open 3 micro-clinics in Edmonds, Olympia, and Puyallup by the end of April 2021 --- and a new Community Based
Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Everett in late 2021.
VA
Puget Sound will be closing the Valor Healthcare clinics in Lake City, Federal
Way and Bellevue on January 31, 2021. During the period from February 1st to the opening of the micro-clinics, VA Puget Sound will have virtual teams with
primary care, social work, pharmacy, nutrition, and mental health ready to go for
Veterans who receive care at one of the 3 Valor Healthcare clinics.
Veterans
who receive care from Valor Healthcare will be transferred to new locations based
on their zip code and proximity to the nearest VA Puget Sound care site. There
is limited availability in the new Edmonds clinic, so some Veterans will be assigned
care in Seattle. Our clinics do offer video care appointments, so it is not necessary
to travel to Seattle to receive care.
You can find a full list of those options
at https://www.va.gov/find-locations/.
Our
new micro-clinics are:
·
Edmonds Clinic: 21616
76th Ave, Edmonds, WA 98026
·
Puyallup: Sunrise
Medical Center, 11102 Sunrise Blvd, Puyallup, WAS 98374
·
Olympia: Olympia Medical
Center, 500Lilly Rd, Olympia, WA 98506 (pending)
Patients
interested in seeking care at any of the VA Puget Sound sites, should call
(253) 582-8440, Ext 71234.
# # #
