VVA CA State Council

The Willow Clinic and Sacramento Community Veterans Alliance to Hold Second Annual Veterans Day Health Fair

Event: The Willow Clinic is partnering with the Sacramento Veterans Alliance Coalition to organize a health fair for homeless and in-need veterans at the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter in Sacramento.

Homeless and in-need veterans will receive free comprehensive eye exams and glasses from VSP© Vision Care optometrists onboard a state-of-the-art 45-foot-long VSP Mobile Eyes Clinic. Free general health, and breast and prostate cancer screenings and other resources will be available during the health fair.

The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), in cooperation with The Willow Clinic and the Sacramento Veterans Alliance Coalition, will hold a Veterans Day Ceremony at Noon to highlight the importance of connecting veterans with the medical benefits they need and have earned. This is in keeping with Governor Brown’s Executive Order creating the Interagency Council on Veterans, which calls for greater collaboration between government and the local community to better serve veterans.

Date: Friday, November 11, 2011

Time: 9:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m.

Veterans Day Ceremony: 12:00 to 12:30 p. m.

Place: UC Davis student-run Willow Clinic at

Salvation Army Homeless Shelter

1200 North B Street

Sacramento, CA 95811

Who: Peter J. Gravett, CalVet Secretary; Karen Baker, Secretary, CaliforniaVolunteers; Darryl C. Hunter, MD, Col, USAFR, Director, Sacramento Community Veterans Alliance; Assembly member Richard Pan, MD, Vice Chair, Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee; local VSP Optometrist, Lori Fanning..

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaime Arteaga, 916-657-9329 or Jaime. Arteaga@calvet.ca.gov or Alex Sigua, VSP Vision Care, 916-769-4851 or alex. sigua@vsp.com.

Background: Currently, there are 24,000 homeless veterans living on the streets in California. In addition, veterans have a higher potential to become chronically homeless than the civilian population. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), weak support networks, substance use disorder and unemployment are primary causes for veterans’ homelessness.

The mission of the Willow Clinic is to improve the health and well-being of the homeless population of Sacramento by helping to meet the psychiatric and medical care needs of this underserved population, and to provide a unique platform for medical and undergraduate student education. http://willowclinic.org/index.html

VSP Mobile Eyes features deluxe clinics on wheels, outfitted with state-of-the-art exam rooms and dispensaries to provide care for underserved people across the U. S. Working in partnership with VSP network doctors who volunteer their time and services, patients seen on a VSP mobile clinic receive a comprehensive eye exam and, if needed, glasses.

Homeless Veterans Receive Health Screening at Second Annual Veterans Day Health Fair

Sacramento – Homeless and in-need veterans today received free eye exams, glasses, and cancer screenings at the U. C. Davis student-run The Willow Clinic located in the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter in North Sacramento. This annual Veterans Day Health Fair is co-sponsored by the Sacramento Community Veterans Alliance (SCVA) and the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter.

“We are grateful to The Willow Clinic and its co-sponsors for putting on this second annual Veterans Day Health Fair, ” said Peter J. Gravett, Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. “It is critical that we work together to ensure that our veterans are connected with the health benefits they have earned by their military service. Events such as this demonstrate that many veterans are falling through cracks in the system and ending up homeless, but thanks to good people, outreach to them is being made. ”

Homeless and in-need veterans received free comprehensive eye exams and glasses from VSP© Vision Care optometrists onboard a state-of-the-art 45-foot-long VSP Mobile Eyes Clinic. Free general health, and breast and prostate cancer screenings and other resources were also available to them during the health fair.

“Since the establishment of Veterans Day as a national day of recognition, we have honored the contributions of our men and women in service, ” said Darryl C. Hunter, MD, Col, USAFR, Director, SCVA. “On this Veterans Day, the SCVA and its collaborative partners highlight that not all of our service men and women have received the promised benefits for their sacrifices. We are committed to recognizing all who have worn the uniform and making sure that our nation cares for them and eradicates homelessness among our veterans. ”

This Second Annual Veterans Day Health Fair is a an example of the cooperation that is possible between different agencies and organizations working together with available resources to serve our homeless and in-need veterans. Events such as this are in keeping with Governor Brown’s Executive Order (B-09-11) creating the Interagency Council on Veterans, which calls for greater collaboration between government and the local community to better serve veterans.

Currently, more than 24,000 homeless veterans are living on the streets in California. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), weak support networks, substance use disorder and unemployment are primary causes for veterans’ homelessness.

The mission of the Willow Clinic is to improve the health and well-being of the homeless population of Sacramento by helping to meet the psychiatric and medical care needs of this underserved population, and to provide a unique platform for medical and undergraduate student education. http://willowclinic.org/index.html

VSP Mobile Eyes features deluxe clinics on wheels, outfitted with state-of-the-art exam rooms and dispensaries to provide care for underserved people across the U. S. Working in partnership with VSP network doctors who volunteer their time and services, patients seen on a VSP mobile clinic receive a comprehensive eye exam and, if needed, glasses.