Carson Frame

As of late July, there were more than 9,500 patients with COVID-19 in Texas hospitals — and more than 6,000 had died. Medical teams from the Army and Navy have deployed to help hospitals under stress. 

President Donald Trump met with the family of slain Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen at the White House on Thursday. They shared their grief and expressed their hopes that the military system that failed their daughter and other women will be improved.

The South Texas Veterans Healthcare System is trying to avoid a broad shutdown as the COVID-19 pandemic waxes and wanes.

With the advent of the novel coronavirus in March, the South Texas VA — along with other VA facilities around the country — postponed many face-to-face appointments to prevent the virus from spreading.

The South Texas Veterans Healthcare System is putting a pause on reopening after a surge of patients sought treatment for COVID-19.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still considers COVID-19 to be a low threat to the general American public, the South Texas Veterans Health Care System has begun screening everyone -- patients, employees and contractors -- who enter three of its units.

Federal officials have extended the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops Gov. Greg Abbott sent to the southern border to help with an influx of migrants.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is reaching out to clergy members who may find themselves counseling veterans in crisis or need. It now holds training sessions for religious leaders all over the country. One of the goals is to teach them to look for signs of psychological disorders and other issues among veterans in their congregations. 

In late May, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to help veterans exposed to open-air burn pits. It would create a state registry of health and exposure information and use it for outreach purposes. Now, advocates and state officials are wondering how — if at all — they’ll share that information with the Department of Veterans Affairs.