First Town Hall Brings Veteran Service Organizations Together

Middle Tennessee veterans and their families can trust local veteran service organizations stand ready to support them thanks to a recent town hall.

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone, here in Clarksville, TN hosted its first Veteran Virtual Veteran Services Town Hall in July featuring a number of organizations dedicated to ensuring local military families get the best possible care.

“We wanted to create a space where those who provide services to our veterans, as well as military families themselves, can come together to learn more about resources in our area,” Lisa Eggebeen, Regional Director of the Cohen Clinics at Centerstone said.  “We’ve all had to adjust to today’s current physical distancing recommendations so we felt it was imperative that we understand where each service stands, how veterans and their loved ones can receive the help they may need and continue to strengthen our community by working together.”

Town Hall participants included representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wounded Warrior Project, Team RWB, Operation Stand Down and the Cohen Clinic at Centerstone.  Each organization took time to explain how their respective agencies were adapting to COVID 19 operating guidelines as well as what services they continue to provide; many admitting the virtual realm has become a new normal for the time being, but it hasn’t stopped them from being there for veterans in need.

“We have certainly had to get creative in the way we serve our warriors,” Tim Coop, project manager for the Wounded Warrior project said.  “We’ve held numerous events virtually including live stream gaming and mental health odysseys. We’re grateful to have been able to share that information in this town hall and to learn more about how our fellow veteran serving organizations are continuing to care for our veterans.”

The Cohen Clinic at Centerstone plans to host another virtual Town Hall in September.  Participants for the second will be determined in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the clinic’s Facebook page for updates including the date and time.  Meanwhile, if you missed the July event you can watch the recorded town hall here using Google Chrome: https://centerstone.zoom.us/rec/share/6_dxfpDz5GhIX6ud7BDVRKIOHIq5T6a8hnUd_fAFyEhZY0js8Ppro2mSWHYM735t