Skip to Content
Vertical Graphic Fade

Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Hires Regional Coordinator for Southwestern Virginia

Source: TheVirginia Department of Veterans Services
900 E. Main Street
Richomnd, VA 232189
www.virginiaforvetereans.com

RICHMOND—Cathy Wilson, Executive Director of the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP), Virginia Department of Veterans Services announced today that Lisa R. Yost, M.S., Q.M.H.P, has been named Regional Coordinator of the VWWP in Southwestern Virginia. Ms. Yost is filling a new position made possible by the recent federal grant awarded to VWWP for expansion of its Southwestern Region.

Ms. Yost is a 2009 graduate of Radford University, with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Her undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degree from Bluefield College is in Behavioral Science and Criminal Justice. Ms. Yost has been with the VWWP since the initiation of the regional program in May, 2009, serving as one of two Resource Specialists providing outreach and community support for veterans and their families in Southwest Virginia. As a Resource Specialist, Ms. Yost works directly with veterans and families, connecting them to community resources and providing case management to those with combat stress/operational stress disorders or traumatic brain injury related to their military service. She facilitates Families of Virginia Veterans, a support group for family members of veterans, and co-facilitates the Veterans Outreach Group for veterans of any era. She is also responsible for coordinating public awareness events, helping educate the general public and raising community awareness of local veterans’ issues.

The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health was one of three programs in the country to be awarded federal funding via the “Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program”. The grant provides approximately $300,000 per year for three years to expand services to veterans living in rural areas throughout Southwest Virginia. The U.S. Health The Virginia Department of Veterans Services Serving those who served. Resources Services Administration targets these grants to states with significant veteran populations. The money is being used to a coordinate behavioral health and primary care in areas that do not have ready access to services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In addition to hiring a full time Regional Coordinator, additional Resource Specialists are being hired by Community Services Boards throughout the Region. Planning District 1, Cumberland Mountain and Piedmont Community Services Boards have already hired Resource Specialists. Ms. Yost will work with these new staff and regional providers, including the VA to develop services that utilize innovative technologies such as telemedicine and telepsychiatry.