Health Education
VA Northwest Health Network is dedicated to serving Veterans through a wide variety of specialized programs. Would you like to stop smoking or lose weight to become healthier? Are you interested in accessing your health information online? Check out the Healthy Living Resource Guide, to find online resources for a variety of health topics and programs including websites, videos and phone apps.
Healthy Living Newsletter – Spring 2022
In this issue:
- Food and Drink: the Impact on Health
- VA MOVE! Program
- Sleeping Well
- Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
You can find the most recent issues of the Healthy Living Newsletter in the Resources column on the right.
National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
The National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention helps Veterans stay well and well-informed. Find a variety of health information and be sure to check the site monthly for a new evidence-based healthy living message on topics that are important for living a healthy life such as stress management, healthy eating, safety, physical activity and more.
My HealtheVet
The My HealtheVet site provides veterans and their families excellent, reliable patient education information as well as the latest VA News. Information about veterans benefits and services is also available. Watch this video to learn more. Upon registering with My HealtheVet, you will be able to:
- refill prescriptions online
- keep personal food and activity journals
- monitor your personal health data, such as blood pressure and pain levels
- maintain your own self-entered personal health record
- send secure messages to your primary care team *
- download your lab work (within seven days of being drawn) *
- view pending and past appointments *
* NOTE: Some features require in-person authentication. You may request your In-Person Authentication through your local Release of Information Office.
What’s Your Health Age?
Want to know how old you really are? Take the HealtheLiving Assessment and learn your health age.
- Answer questions about your medical history and health choices.
- Receive a personalized summary report with your current health status, your risks of developing major diseases, a list of healthy changes you can make now, and your Health Age.
Veterans Health Library
The Veterans Health Library offers free access to thousands of VA-approved articles, including:
- Over 1,500 health & drug information sheets in English and Spanish
- Over 150 health education videos
- Online booklets with easy-to-use page turning
- Hands-on tools and quizzes
- Veterans Health Library resources adhere to VA’s high standards of patient care. Use the Library to:
- Understand a diagnosis and make treatment decisions
- Prepare for everything from tests and procedures to rehabilitation and recovery
- Manage your health on an ongoing basis
Quit Tobacco for Life 
VA can help you stop tobacco use. Medications, group classes, telephone counseling and cell phone text / app programs are available to help. Talk with your healthcare provider about your options. Learn more with VA resources on tobacco and health and how to be tobacco free, and check out the Be Tobacco Free section of the Healthy Living Resource Guide for more tools and support.
Women Veterans Health
Women are enrolling in the VA at record levels, challenging a VA health care system that has historically cared for a mostly male population. Women Veterans proudly served. Visit Women Veterans Health Care to connect with women’s health resources. Also explore this video series to hear from women Veterans—of all ages and conflicts—on the care they receive in VA facilities across the country, and learn what steps VA is taking to ensure that every Veteran receives the best care anywhere.
MOVE!
MOVE! is a weight management, health promotion program designed to improve the lives of Veterans. MOVE!’s core ideas—encouraging healthy eating behavior, increasing physical activity and promoting even small weight losses—are easy to follow, based on the latest nutrition science, and can help reduce health risks, prevent or reverse certain diseases and improve your quality of life. You may be able to do MOVE! through group or individual sessions, the MOVE! Coach phone app, Telephone Lifestyle Coaching or TeleMOVE!, one of the VA’s home Telehealth services. Check with your facility to see what MOVE! options are available near you. Get started by completing the MOVE!11 Questionnaire to get personalized feedback on your current health status, and check out other Veterans’ success stories to get inspired today!
Healthy Teaching Kitchen
VA facilities across the country offer Healthy Teaching Kitchens (HTK) where Veterans and their families can learn healthy cooking skills. Learn new recipes and techniques through cooking demonstrations and/or hands-on cooking lessons. Some VA facilities even have gardens where you can learn about growing your own food. Many HTKs offer classes focused on specific disease conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Learn more about HTK, find links to videos and access free recipes and cookbooks on the Healthy Teaching Kitchen webpage.
Whole Health
VA Whole Health is a cutting-edge approach to care that supports your health and well-being by centering around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you. This means your health team will get to know you as a person, before working with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs and goals. Check out the online resources and complete the Personal Health Inventory. You can start a conversation with your health team about your needs and priorities and find out what Whole Health programs are offered at your VA facility.
For health education opportunities in your area, visit the webpage of your nearest VA:
