Originally published: 2024-02-18T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.
The dawn of a new year can be a motivating time to think about your personal goals for the year ahead. That applies whether you take a more formal approach to making resolutions, goals and vision boards or simply striving to make better choices. Setting the right goals can feel overwhelming and may lead to feeling “stuck” and not knowing where to start.
That was the inspiration behind, “Whole New Year, Whole New You!” an event held for Veterans and staff at Eastern Oklahoma VA.
The event was a joint effort by staff from Healthy Living, Whole Health, Pharmacy, Wound Care, Tobacco Cessation, Employee Assistance Program and Social Work programs and services.
Joan McWilliams, Whole Health coordinator (pictured above), kicked off the event at the Jack C. Montgomery VA in Muskogee.
Melissa Johnson, Health Behavior coordinator, was excited for the turnout, which included about 70 Veterans and staff members between the two facilities where the events were held.
Resources provided to help reach goals
“The goal was to provide Veterans and staff with education, encouragement, support and a chance to talk about their personal goals for 2024. We also provided them with resources to assist in reaching their goals. And they had an opportunity to take pictures for fun and accountability,” McWilliams said.
Information about Whole Health, Employee Whole Health, Annie App, Sofia Health, Tobacco Cessation, the Employee Assistance Program, mindfulness, lung cancer screenings and other cancer screenings were available to those who attended. Guests were also given the choice of having someone from the event follow-up with them regarding their goals to offer additional support.
Johnson said the feedback was great and the team is already discussing plans to improve and expand the event to more sites in 2025.
“We received incredible feedback from everyone. It was great to be able to help others with their goals, talk about their successes and offer resources to help them keep moving forward. This event was fun, positive and motivating. We made connections that set the foundation for building relationships that will help us all reach our goals together,” Johnson said.
Learn more about Whole Health, setting goals and taking control of your health.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
