As part of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Remembrance Day ceremonies at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJHA’s Veteran Navigators were on hand last Saturday to offer healthcare services and other supports for Veterans.

The Serving Those Who Served program kicked off its spring series of screenings at the event, the first of several upcoming programs going on through June. Clinicians from Meridian Health – Bayshore Community Hospital provided the screenings while the Veteran Navigators offered peer support to those interested.

The Remembrance Day ceremony was well attended, and featured a visit from Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

Funded by a grant from the Department of Health through Kennedy Health, the Veteran Navigators and local providers are utilizing a Mobile Satellite Emergency Department (MSED) to provide blood pressure screenings, behavioral health screenings and referrals – among other available services – to anyone who has served their country, regardless of insurance status.

Upcoming events include:

• May 14 and 15, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the American Legion Post 294, 39 Fort Dix Road, Pemberton, in conjunction with the Power in the Pines Open House and Air Show at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
• May 20 and 21, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Millville Army Air Field Museum, 1 Leddon Street, Millville.
• June 2-5 at Wildwood Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood, in conjunction with the N.J. State Elks Convention. Screening begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. Friday and 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, going on until 4 p.m. each day.

Serving Those Who Served started with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act; unemployed Veterans were hired to help people navigate signing up for health insurance in the marketplace or checking eligibility for Medicaid. The program was very successful, and NJHA brought the Veteran Navigators back to improve access to healthcare for New Jersey’s Veterans.

For more information on the program and upcoming events, visit www.Facebook.com/ServingThoseWhoServed.