Valpo event aims to meet the needs of veterans

In what they hope to make an annual event, VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana and the Porter County Community Foundation will host a stand down Friday afternoon at the Porter County Expo Center to meet a wide variety of veteran needs under one roof. Modeled after the stand downs of the Vietnam Era which allowed service members a break from combat to attend to personal needs, the stand down will offer over 52 vendors.

“You always hear, ‘We don’t do enough for veterans.’ but I think it’s just the opposite — there are so many people doing so many great things for veterans,” said Bob Franko, president and CEO of VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana. “It’s not always easily accessible. That’s why the stand downs are so great. There’s so many things under one roof.”

Vendors will include an attorney and a barber offering free haircuts. Health Link, a federally-qualified health center, will offer blood pressure screenings and consultations on where veterans can access other resources. Porter Starke Services will also be on hand to guide veterans on mental health care. Suicide and depression take a heavy toll on veterans.

“I think every day we lose 27 veterans to suicide in this country,” Franko said.

VNA Hospice serves six counties in Northwest Indiana: Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, and Starke, and has been operating for 53 years. It offers five service lines. As its name implies, inpatient and outpatient hospice is the first.

A palliative care program rounds out the hands-on medical care offerings.

“People who choose palliative care are usually also seeking some sort of curative care,” Franko said.

VNA Hospice also serves 250 meals a day through its Meals on Wheels program, helps outfit people with medical alert buttons through its Medical Guardian Program, and offers grief support to children who have lost a loved one through its Phoenix Center.