VFW Auxiliary Donates $105K to Women Veterans
Michelle Zielenski, LCSW, Lead Women Veterans Program Manager, VISN 8, accepts a donation of more than $105K from Teresa Bachand, President, VFW Auxiliary, Department of Florida, and Cortina Barnes, National Representative and Past National President, VFW Auxiliary, on June 15 in Orlando, Fla. The donation is the largest single gift made to VISN 8 and earmarked specifically for women in at least 10 years.
TAMPA, Fla. – The VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) accepted a donation of more than $105K from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary, Dept. of Florida, during the organization’s summer conference on June 15 in Orlando, Fla. The donation is the largest single gift made to VISN 8 and earmarked specifically for women in at least 10 years.
The dollars were divided and distributed equally to benefit women Veterans programs at each of VISN 8’s seven healthcare systems and two VA clinics located in the Florida panhandle under the jurisdiction of VISN 16.
“We are absolutely humbled and immensely grateful for the generosity of the VFW Auxiliary,” said Michelle Zielenski, LCSW, Lead Women Veterans Program Manager, VISN 8.
“Women Veterans represent the fastest-growing population of VA healthcare users in the nation,” she said. “This generous donation will certainly go a long way to support Women Veteran Programs across our network. The support of the VFW Auxiliary recognizes and honors the service of our women Veterans to our country."
Zielenski was on hand for the conference and accepted the donation on behalf of VISN 8 from Teresa Bachand, President, VFW Auxiliary, Department of Florida, and Cortina Barnes, National Representative and Past National President, VFW Auxiliary.
“Every year, the department president chooses a special project that benefits Veterans. I chose this project to shed light on the unique needs of women Veterans,” Bachand said.
“The VFW Auxiliaries in Florida are an amazing. The outpouring of support and generosity exceeded my expectations and I think it also exceeded Michelle’s. I could not be prouder of the outcome,” she said.
More than 84,000 women Veterans currently receive their medical and mental health care from VISN 8 facilities. This number represents 11 percent of all Veterans served by VA across Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Nationally, VA cares for nearly 1 million women Veterans. Within the last year alone, more the 53,000 women enrolled in VA health care marking a 20 percent increase over the previous year and the largest enrollment year for women Veterans on record. Florida saw the second highest number of women enrolling for care across all states with more than 4,600.
To find out how you can donate to VA to help Veterans, please visit www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/.
To learn more about women Veterans health services and how to apply for care, please visit: www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/womens-health-needs/.
About the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8)
Located in Tampa, Florida, the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) is the nation’s largest system of hospitals and clinics serving a population of more than 1.4 million Veterans in a vast 64,153 square mile area spread across 79 counties in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. VISN 8’s seven healthcare systems include eight Joint Commission-accredited VA medical centers and more than 90 outpatient clinic locations. More than 35,000 full-time employees work at these facilities, providing a full range of high quality, cost-effective medical, psychiatric, and extended care services in an inpatient, outpatient, nursing home, and home care settings. In 2023, more than 640,000 patients actively used VISN 8 facilities while completing 9.3 million outpatient visits. Click here to read the 2023 Annual Report.
