The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has created Facebook pages for all 152 of its medical centers.
“This event marks an important milestone in the overall effort to transform how VA communicates with veterans and provide them the health care and benefits they have earned,” Eric K. Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs, stated in a press release. “Veterans and their families told us from the beginning that they want to engage, and they want relevant information delivered at a local level. By leveraging Facebook, the department continues to expand access to VA and embrace transparency and two-way conversation.”
The VA began with a single Veterans Health Administration Facebook page in 2008. It has since produced more than 150 Facebook pages, 64 Twitter feeds, a YouTube channel, Flickr page and the “VAntage Point” blog, according to the release.
VA clinicians cannot discuss specific health concerns of an individual on Facebook, but the staff does monitor the sites closely each day and provide helpful information when appropriate.
The VA currently has more than 345,000 combined Facebook subscribers. It plans to continue expanding its Facebook presence and hopes to create Twitter pages for every VA medical center.
