The research team at Northern Arizona VA Health Care System has recently reached a significant milestone: Over 2,000 Veterans in Northern Arizona have now joined the Million Veteran Program (MVP), VA’s largest research effort to improve Veterans’ health care.
The voluntary research program studies how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect health. More than 1,000,000 Veterans across the nation have already joined MVP.
“Every Veteran in Northern Arizona who joins MVP is helping us make important discoveries for Veteran health—we can’t thank you enough,” said Malgorzata Chmura-Witusik, MVP local site research coordinator.
To date, VA has supported the largest genetic studies on PTSD, major depression, and heart disease. Other areas being studied include tinnitus, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Gulf War Illness, endometriosis, and suicide prevention.
Joining MVP involves:
- Filling out surveys by mail or online about health and lifestyle
- Providing a blood sample, either by mail or in person at a participating VA facility
- Granting MVP secure access to health records on an ongoing basis
- Agreeing to be contacted by MVP in the future about additional research opportunities
Veterans in Northern Arizona can join MVP by visiting the Bob Stump VA Medical Center in Prescott, Monday through Thursday, between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The facility’s MVP station is located next to the pharmacy waiting area in Building 164.
Veterans can complete the online registration at any time by going to https://www.mvp.va.gov/pwa/ and then scheduling a quick in-person appointment for blood collection.
For Veterans who can’t easily travel to the facility, there is also the option of requesting a home blood collection kit after registering online. Participation in MVP is entirely voluntary.
To learn more and join today, visit https://www.mvp.va.gov/pwa/ or call 866-441-6075 to schedule an appointment.
For questions or more information, contact Max Efrein, Public Affairs, at 928-910-0332 or Max.Efrein@va.gov.
About the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System:
Through its main campus in Prescott – along with Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Anthem, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, and Lake Havasu City, and rural clinics in Chinle, Kayenta, Page, and Tuba City – the Northern Arizona VA provides services to approximately 34,000 Veterans over a catchment area of more than 65,000 square miles.
