09-02-2025
Erie VA Medical provides several updates at resource fair, town hall
The Erie VA Medical is using an opportunity to engage with veterans during a town hall and resource fair.
The center, along with their partners from the county and state, were at the Wesleyville American Legion providing and educating about the services they have available.
'There is no wrong door for the veteran to go into. When they come to us when they come to the county when they come to the state when they come to any of our vet centers, we all know each other, we would collaborate with each other and if we don't have an answer we do a warm hand-off an likewise,' said John Gennaro, medical center director of the Erie VA Medical Center.
Recently, the medical center announced that they are expanding their facilities located on the corner of East 38th Street and Old French Road.
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They broke ground on an $18 million project that will provide additional care space in their primary setting.
'The PA National Guard just returned and they have over 300 members serve in Africa and so our team has reached out to the teams there and we're enrolling more and more veterans at the Erie VA,' said Gennaro.
One veteran shined a spotlight on their women's program that she said has helped her form a sense of community when she needed one the most.
'I don't work anymore I'm 100% disability so I wanted to give back as well as get out of the house,' said Pamela Bailey, member and volunteer at the Erie VA Medical Center's Women's Health Veterans Program. 'It's just all of us women trying to get together once a month just to get community together.'
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Erie VA serves over 1,700 female veterans.
With that number continuing to grow, their vision is to empower women to obtain optimal health and well-being by providing proactive, personalized health care.
Although these veterans might not have served at the same time or been in the same branch, Bailey said when they get together for crafts, the women are all able to relate to each other based on their military experience.
'We can get together and socialize because we all know what it's been like so we have that group community where just the women can get together and be a support system,' said Bailey.
Typically the center holds their town halls every quarter, but are always available for information at their main campus.
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