ORLANDO, Fla. – With about a week to go until the nation marks its 250th birthday, the VA Medical Center in Lake Nona is reminding veterans that help is available close to home.
The medical center hosted a resource fair, filling hallways with booths for health services, benefits assistance, and community support organizations. Displays recognizing America’s 250th anniversary were set up throughout the facility.
Army veteran Waly Lopez said he first came to the Lake Nona VA in 2011 after returning from Iraq with a serious infection.
“When I came from Iraq, I had an infection — what they call cellulitis — and it started getting worse and worse,” Lopez said.
[WATCH: Lake Nona VA event in Orlando honors fallen heroes, connects veterans with services]
The infection worsened, and Lopez eventually had his leg amputated. He said the medical center’s care helped him move forward. Seeing the crowds at the fair, Lopez said he hopes other veterans realize they are not alone.
“This is good,” Lopez said. “It makes the patients get out of the room.”
Medical Center Director and CEO Timothy Cooke said the anniversary is a reminder of the country’s responsibility to honor those who served.
“For 250 years, that amazing effort that it came with, that independence — it is our responsibility to honor that independence forever,” Cooke said.
Central Florida is home to more than 400,000 veterans. The Lake Nona Medical Center serves about 149,000 of them.
Among the groups taking part was Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit that provides assistance and support to veterans year-round. Community outreach coordinator Nilsson Garcia said the organization focuses on hospital visits, comfort cards, monthly events and food distributions.
“Primarily patient visits. We also do comfort cards. We also do coffee and donuts,” Garcia said. “And all these events happen on a monthly basis. And we have our huge food distribution at VA Lake Baldwin, where we serve about 275 families.”
Garcia, a veteran, said events like the resource fair are critical because many veterans do not realize what programs are available or what benefits they may qualify for.
“A lot of the veterans don’t know that these programs and organizations exist, or what benefits they are entitled to,” he said.
For more information on the VA Medical Center in Lake Nona click HERE.