loader image
Monday, October 20, 2025
95.9 F
McAllen
- Advertisement -

UTRGV teams with VA to offer telehealth services for student veterans

Translate to Spanish or other 102 languages!

Photo for illustration purposes only.
Photo for illustration purposes only.

Mega Doctor News

- Advertisement -

By Jennifer L. Berghom

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – SEPT. 16, 2015 – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has formed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to offer telehealth services to student veterans.

The university has a designated special room at its Edinburg Campus where student veterans who need treatment for mental health issues can meet discreetly with a VA counselor via teleconference.

- Advertisement -

There are more than 350 student veterans on the Edinburg Campus and about 200 on the Brownsville Campus, said Martin Rodriguez, director of the Veterans Services Center. Edinburg will serve as a test site for 60 days. If successful, the program will expand to the Brownsville Campus.

“The great thing about this is, because there are limited resources here in the Valley, this allows the VA and UTRGV to tap into multiple resources to be able to get that medical (and) psychological assistance that we wouldn’t be able to get,” said Michael Banegas, associate dean for Student Support.

The room is located on the first floor of the University Center and is accessible from the Veterans Services Center and the Counseling Center. Students have access to the room by appointment only.

Christopher Albert, director of UTRGV’s Counseling Center, said the telehealth services provide the same quality of care as in-person visits and provide a convenient way for student veterans to get the help they need.

- Advertisement -

“It’s no secret now that many of our veterans are really in need of good mental health services,” Albert said. “The VA has mental health services, but the tricky thing with this population is … there tends to be a stigma about mental illness and getting treatment for it. The idea behind telehealth is that it starts addressing some of those issues and those gaps.”

In addition to the VA counselors, UTRGV also has a counseling specialist assigned to work with student veterans.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

More Articles

STHS Hosting Webinar on Lung Health, Oct. 21st

Mega Doctor News By supplying oxygen to the body and filtering harmful substances like carbon dioxide, the lungs...

STHS to Provide Amputation Prevention Education, Oct. 26th

Mega Doctor News Despite medical advancements like regenerative wound care, minimally invasive surgical...

Alzheimer’s Association Urges Texans to Vote ‘Yes on 14’ and Fight Dementia

Early voting begins October 20th, giving Texans their first chance to support making the state a national leader in dementia prevention and research. Texas Proposition 14, if approved, would fund the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT). A “Yes” vote on Prop 14 accelerates progress toward prevention, treatments and a cure, offering hope to Texas families – right here at home.

Dr. Ali Kilic: Advancing Patient-Centered Reconstructive Surgery in the Rio Grande Valley

At the 2025 DHR Health Fashion Show & Gala Honoring Heroic Patients, held on October 15 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, Dr. Ali Kilic, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Hand Surgeon at DHR Health, was recognized for his commitment to patient-centered reconstructive care and his role in empowering women to reclaim their confidence after breast cancer treatment. The event, themed “A Celebration of Strength, Courage, and Empowerment,” celebrated breast cancer survivors who have undergone reconstruction and honored the physicians who help them heal.
- Advertisement -
×