Personal experience using the VA Health Chat app

For the readers that may not know, I am a proud Navy veteran, married to an equally proud Army veteran. Don’t ask how that happened—we’re still trying to figure that one out. Regardless, I write a number of stories about items from the Department of Veterans’ Administration (VA), though have not had a need to use many items to date. That changed during a recent trip to Europe.

We had set out to visit family, and during the second leg of our trip, my husband became severely ill. Unsure of what to do, I did a quick search of the App store to find the VA Health Chat app, which provides quick and easy access to literally chat with a Clinical Triage Nurse, Pharmacy Support, and Scheduling and Administration for Primary Care. Users are able to chat with VA staff when you have a question about a non-life-threatening health issue, want to schedule a VA appointment or refill a VA prescription, and more.

Since we were in Romania and I wasn’t going to get much rest with my husband being ill, I downloaded the app and got to work. After signing up and letting the VA verify that I was, in fact, a veteran, I was able to log in and chat with a nurse. There was a slight wait, but overall the process was simple. Just like going to sick call, I told the nurse what was going on with my husband. The only negative was that she could not do more than provide a phone number since we were overseas.

However, I kept the app because, well, we’re veterans and don’t always like going to the clinic or hospital unless absolutely necessary. Keeping the app handy on my phone was important because I needed to use the app for myself days later. Without going into too much boring detail, on our flight home, I thought the biggest pain was waiting to see if our connecting flight would be delayed due to the shutdown, and getting through Passport Control and Customs. But instead, I experienced horrible abdominal pains, to the point I thought the other passengers were going to start complaining about my frequent need to get out of my seat.

Needless to say, after getting home, things didn’t get better and after a futile attempt to sleep, I used the app to talk with a nurse.

There was little waiting, probably because it was 2:00 a.m., but the nurse was responsive and after I told her what was going on, her advice was quick and to the point: go to the ER.

While her initial thought of what was ailing me was incorrect, her advice to get to the emergency room was right on the money, and after a few hours at the hospital, most everything is good to go again.

Even more surprising has been the quick follow-up from my VA clinic. Two days after visiting the ER, I received a phone call from my provider’s nurse asking how I was doing and what the doctor’s note said.

So, what’s the point? I wanted to share my experience with using the VA Health Chat app and encourage veterans like me who are stubborn and don’t like going to the clinic or hospital, though I know should, to download and use the app when they are ill. It is better than WebMD.

To learn more about VA Health Chat, please visit www.mobile.va.gov/app/va-health-chat