Veteran spends 500+ hours helping others access virtual care

Virtual Health Resource Center connects Veterans with care

After serving 26 years in the Army as a military intelligence officer, working 10 years at a global science-based technology company and volunteering for over five years as a substitute teacher in South Korea, you’d think Jim Olson’s patience for answering computer-related questions would be low.

But he’s just not ready to power down.

Since 2021, Olson has spent over 500 hours volunteering at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center’s Virtual Health Resource Center (VHRC), helping his fellow Veterans navigate telehealth technologies. Finding the VHRC where he works is easy—just look for the huge American flag in the main atrium. It’s one of the largest flags in the state, measuring 60 feet long by 30 feet wide.

“I love being able to help my brothers and sisters overcome their technological hurdles and connect them to care,” said Olson. “A lot of Veterans come to me with problems or frustrations. I’m able to provide them with a solution and a positive experience.”

Helping his community

On a typical day, Olson helps Veterans log in to My HealtheVet on VA.gov, VA’s online patient portal. Most Veterans have questions about their password or about the different ways they can access the platform.

“Half of my job is getting Veterans connected to VA systems and the other half is getting them comfortable with the technology,” said Olson. “Most of my interactions require a little bit of both.”

The VHRC is in a highly trafficked area of the hospital, just steps away from additional VA staff members who are equipped to field questions about VA benefits and other VA programs.

“A lot of our success comes down to being friendly and getting someone to feel relaxed,” said Olson. “It starts with a joke, a trivia question or a comment that assures them they aren’t alone. From there, we take a slow and methodical approach to answer their questions and make sure they understand what we are doing.”

Support at VHRCs

VHRCs offer support to Veterans, their family members and caregivers, and VA staff looking to take advantage of virtual care tools. Each VHRC has health technology experts, like Olson, located at its associated VA facility.

“From time to time, I get questions about how long I’ve worked with computers or whether I’ve ever been a teacher. That really brings everything full circle,” he said.

Experts like Olson provide guidance, hands-on support, training and other information regarding virtual care tools, such as VA Video Connect, My HealtheVet, VA health care apps and devices. VHRCs are open for phone, video and in-person consultations with their health technology experts.

“I know I did my job when someone walks away confident and with a smile!” he added.

Find a VHRC near you with the VHRC location tool. For more information about telehealth services available to Veterans, visit the VA Telehealth Services website.