{"id":9163,"date":"2023-05-07T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=9163"},"modified":"2023-05-08T06:48:45","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T06:48:45","slug":"vas-mission-to-better-serve-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=9163","title":{"rendered":"VA\u2019s mission to better serve all"},"content":{"rendered":"

VA has renewed its focus to foster a safe and inclusive environment for all Veterans and employees. <\/strong>VA\u2019s new mission statement<\/a> reflects a new VA that is intent on creating an environment where all have equitable opportunities to thrive, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals and underserved populations.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTo fulfill President Lincoln\u2019s promise to care for those who have served in our nation\u2019s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This statement reflects the changing needs of VA\u2019s evolving population. VA serves more minority populations, LGBTQ+ individuals and women Veterans now than ever before.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately 25% of the people we serve are women, and we need to bring that 25% home,\u201d said Toni Hightower, Army Veteran and acting team lead at VA\u2019s Center for Women Veterans. As a former VA police officer and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Hightower\u2019s experience has provided her with a well-rounded view toward improving the cultural health of VA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen need to stand up and be heard\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u201cThere is so much work that has been done and still so much more to do,\u201d Hightower added. \u201cThe life of every Veteran matters. We don\u2019t get the same equality as men. Women need to stand up and be heard. We count. We matter. We can only do that if we unite and start empowering one another.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

Empowering all who served includes providing a space for all Veterans who identify as female and educating others at VA about the importance of equitable care. Hightower has led LGBTQ+ webinars that focus on learning more about transgender Veterans and understanding how to use pronouns to show respect and reduce the number of harassment incidents.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
Toni Hightower (right), VA\u2019s Center for Women Veterans, with Missy Lingerfelt <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In a recent podcast interview conducted by McKinsey & Company<\/a>, diversity, equity, and inclusion expert Diana Ellsworth said that \u201cEvery time we use inclusive language, we give a positive signal. This is a safe environment where LGBTQ+ employees are respected and valued.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we take time to understand each other.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Transgender men and women are twice as likely to hear sexist jokes about people of their gender and three times more likely to feel they can\u2019t talk about their life outside of work. VA\u2019s renewed mission statement emphasizes the commitment to support all the heroes who have served our country, regardless of race, gender, background, sexual orientation, religion, zip code or identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to empower people to learn,\u201d Hightower said. \u201cIt\u2019s my thought that I can plant the seed for change. I want people outside of my box to grow to think different. If we take time to understand each other, we can really make VA a place of belonging for all Veterans and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

White Ribbon VA<\/a> is a national call to action that encourages individuals to <\/strong>commit to eliminating sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence throughout the organization. The White Ribbon VA pledge<\/a> encourages everyone to commit to making a change and to stand against violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think White Ribbon VA<\/a> <\/strong>is a good start,\u201d said Hightower. \u201cIt\u2019s representative of the issue. It\u2019s great knowing VA sees the problem and that we are doing something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Document your pledge and show your support for a harassment-free VA by committing to the White Ribbon VA Pledge<\/a>. Stand up against unwanted behavior today and be a part of VA\u2019s new mission to care for all those who have served, and create a safer, more welcoming environment for all. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VA has renewed its focus to foster a safe and inclusive environment for all Veterans and employees. VA\u2019s new mission statement reflects a new VA that is intent on creating an environment where all have equitable opportunities to thrive, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals and underserved populations. \u201cTo fulfill President Lincoln\u2019s promise to care for those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,217,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-mission-statement","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9163"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9171,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9163\/revisions\/9171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}