Regions Hospital offers a special 'Thank you' to veterans

In celebration of Veterans Day, Regions is making the day special for veterans who both work and receive care at the hospital.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Nov. 11, 2015 – On any given day, Regions Hospital cares for about 30 veterans. In celebration of Veterans Day, Regions is making the day special for veterans who both work and receive care at the hospital.

Employees will be visiting patient rooms starting at 9 a.m. to say thank you to each of our veterans for their service and to provide cupcakes along with a couple of gifts. Along with heartfelt gratitude from Regions employees, each service member will receive a "Challenge Coin," which plays off of the military tradition of handing out medallions for specific achievements. In addition, each will receive a copy of the book "Still Standing: The story of SSG John Kriesel." It’s the story of John, the Director of Veterans Services for Anoka County and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, who nearly lost his life in 2006 while serving in Iraq.

Today’s activities are made possible by the Lee and Penny Anderson HeroCare program, which started at Regions Hospital in the summer of 2014. Through this program our team meets with each veteran who is admitted to Regions Hospital. The program started in our Regions mental health units, but it quickly expanded to the entire hospital. Since inception, nearly 500 veterans have been connected to services and benefits in the community. These are programs they are entitled to, but often times don’t realize are available.

For more information on HeroCare, or to join Regions Veterans Day activities, please contact Scott Beedy at 612-248-4622. Media arrival will need to be at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Please park in the South Parking Ramp and check in at the main entrance. An RSVP to Scott Beedy is appreciated.

In addition, Regions Hospital will also be hosting a pair of events for employees who are veterans throughout the day.