Oakland Vet Center

07/19/2021

Hi everyone! Vet Centers are going to be getting their own web pages! It’s an exciting new era for VC visibility, and we have been asked to shut this page down to prepare for the new changes.

This message will be up for the rest of this week as a courtesy to our valued clients and supporters to receive word, and the page will be left active but not maintained. Please call or visit our new website to talk with us.

Thank you for following and sharing us on all of the social media platforms. We are grateful and happy to serve the Active Duty and Veteran communities! We will see you soon on our very own website!

04/08/2021

12/27/2020

Happy Holidays from the Oakland Vet Center!

06/17/2020

An unlikely partnership between the Oakland Vet Center and Alameda County Arts Commission is using art to help war veterans find healing.

08/25/2019

TheCity of Abilene is the first city in Texas and ninth in Americato house all homeless veterans. In October, Abilene Mayor Anthony Williams launched the Mayor's Challenge to end veterans' homelessness within 100 days. The idea was to find housing for homeless veterans, which would help them start t...

07/22/2019

Women veterans are the fastest growing group of homeless veterans and advocates say it could be much worse.

04/14/2019

If you are Active Duty, and you were either combat deployed or exposed to Military Sexual Trauma, then you meet eligibility requirements to be treated at any Vet Center. Our records are kept confidential from your unit, the VA, or whomever you don’t want to have your information. Many Vet Center employees are themselves veterans, and we know what you are going through.

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. Please come see us.

Every Marine who takes his or her own life is more than a number, but the numbers tell a distressing story

03/30/2019

Thank you to all Vietnam Veterans. You have borne the battle in so many ways, and we are grateful for and respectful of your sacrifices and service.

03/28/2019

‘Til Valhalla, brother.

A Florida city dedicated a bronze grave marker Saturday memorializing a native son who was killed in action in Vietnam and whose burial spot was unmarked for 50 years.

03/22/2019

Vet Centers have been doing this since the 1970s! We wish more people knew about us. Veterans started “talking other Veterans down” because the VA was not a place Veterans felt safe or cared for during and after the highly unpopular Vietnam Conflict. Veterans were advised to dump their uniforms before leaving the airport upon their arrivals back into the States, and to leave looking as civilian as possible. Vet Centers arose as an answer to the hopelessness and isolation those returning from War felt, and it was Veterans who met in cafes, homes, anywhere they could to counsel their own and help them readjust to civilian society. Our legacy is rich and we are proud to serve our brothers and sisters who have borne the battle. Vet Centers - started by vets, for vets.

The novel partnership between a California sheriff’s department and a VA hospital has already responded to more than 125 emergencies.

03/17/2019

Get some!

His last run took three years. He expects this one will take a little longer.

03/06/2019

This is heartbreaking news. Please, please come in and talk to someone. If you do not feel comfortable in big facilities like VA hospitals, any Vet Center will be honored to help you. It is NEVER too late. You are important. You have a purpose. Your next mission is just around the corner.

Rest In Peace, brother.

Sean Taylor Pergerson, 47, was found dead in a yard after a neighborhood siege. He was a Sausalito resident.

12/19/2018

‘Til Valhalla, brother. Semper Fi.

Mental health services are so important to all, and crucial to those who serve. Vet Centers are a small part of the VA healthcare system but we are proud to help as many Active Duty, Veterans and their families as we can to understand the challenges that come from experiencing trauma, and how to mitigate the effects of PTSD so that they can live better, healthier and happier lives post trauma. Knowing the symptoms and coping mechanisms to combat them saves lives!!

Surviving trauma is not enough; we want you to thrive.

A retired Marine colonel was found outside of a Florida VA hospital wearing his dress uniform, sitting on top of his military records in the hospital’s parking lot after he took his own life with a firearm. Retired Colonel James Flynn Turner IV committed the somewhat-ceremonial suicidal act on Dec...

10/02/2018

FYI

09/20/2018

This is so heartening!

Eight years after immigration officials detained Fabian Rebolledo in his Baldwin Park home and deported him to Tijuana, the U.S. Army veteran has returned home after regaining his green-card status in August.

07/27/2018

On July 25, 2018, Alameda County Supervisor Valle presented the Veterans Art Project commendation to Oakland Vet Center Director Dr. David Joseph with local Veterans, Oakland Vet Center Staff, Alameda County Leadership, and Alameda County Arts Commissioners and Staff. Photos by Paul Kuroda.

07/27/2018

Thanks to the Alameda Arts Commission for their dedication to bringing their art program to our veterans. The program has so much meaning to our Center. Their work gets showcased all around Alameda County. Most importantly, our veterans feel a tremendous therapeutic benefit from making the art together, as a community of veterans. Thank you to Alameda County Supervisor Valle for the recognition. It promotes awareness of this great program and our Vet Center. A very special thank you to Violet Juno of the Alameda Arts Commission for organizing and facilitating all of our art events!

On July 25, 2018, Alameda County Supervisor Valle presented the Veterans Art Project commendation to Oakland Vet Center Director Dr. David Joseph with local Veterans, Oakland Vet Center Staff, Alameda County Leadership, and Alameda County Arts Commissioners and Staff. Photos by Paul Kuroda.

07/26/2018

UPDATE: ALL CLEAR. The all clear has been given as of 11:12am.

ATTENTION: Active threat/shooter situation at VA Palo Alto building 6. Please stay away from the area if you are not already there. If you are, please try to safely get away, seek cover and barricade yourself, staff and patients in a safe location. Police are responding. PLEASE do not try to contact people who may be in the area as your call may put them at risk, especially if they are hiding.

07/07/2018

Wishing everyone a safe and joyous Independence weekend!

06/23/2018

This is a powerful message to anyone contemplating su***de. Mental health is vital to our well being both individually and communally. “It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to not ask somebody to back you up... because recovery happens.”

Please do not think you are a burden. You are important and you have a village waiting to support you, even if you do not think you do. The Oakland Vet Center is committed to helping current and prior service members who have been combat deployed, or regardless of deployment have experienced Military Sexual Trauma. We also refer people who may not qualify for our services to other mental health facilities and programs. We have a village ready to support you! Call for more information - 510-562-7906.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

05/01/2018

May is national Military Appreciation Month! If you have been combat deployed, welcome home, and if you are serving or have served in the military regardless of deployment status, thank you for your faithful service to our country. The Department of Veterans Affairs is ever improving our efforts to help you readjust to civilian life once you have been discharged from military service, for every single one of you are a necessary asset to this country and to American society. The Oakland Vet Center salutes you!

04/13/2018

Our monthly potluck is today at noon. Come on by and spend some time in good company!

04/05/2018

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling services for current or prior military service members who have been exposed to Military Sexual Trauma, the term the VA "uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while [serving] in the military." The Department of Veteran Affairs at large provides this service to the veteran population as well. Here is a video published by the VA that helps define MST:

This video is intended to educate Veterans, VA staff and the general public about the types of incidents that constitute MST, the effects of MST on survivors...

03/20/2018

This video is giving us life! Check out this great and passionate take on the importance of mental health, and some mindfulness practices you can use right now!

03/12/2018

A great number of Vet Center staff are Veterans. We know the stigma and struggle to “admit weakness” and ask for help. You are not “weak” for taking steps to live a healthier, happier life - this is STRENGTH. We are here, waiting to welcome you to our village and help you move forward in your readjustment journey.

03/09/2018

Happening now: There is an active shooter at the Yountville Veterans Home. Please stay away from that area until the all clear has been given. So far, there are reported three hostages and shots fired in the dining hall.

Napa County Fire captain Chase Beckman says a gunman has taken hostages at a veterans home in California in what he calls an

02/14/2018

02/05/2018

Do you have questions about a new or existing VA disability claim? Karen Flowers from the Benefits Administration of VA will be at our office every other Thursday starting February 8 from 10-4pm (last appt at 3:30)! Earliest openings are Feb. 22. Come in and get your questions answered!

02/05/2018

Our next potluck is THIS FRIDAY from noon to 2pm, and then there will be a movie screening after! Come and join us!!

02/01/2018

We are here! So many don't know about Vet Centers and the services we provide WITHOUT the bureaucracy. Please tell your fellow veterans. We can all help get the word out.

The VA is fighting staff burnout and red-tape to get former soldiers essential care.

01/22/2018

It was only 100 years ago, at the end of World War I, that women were allowed to join the military, mostly as medical and administrative staff. The staff at the Oakland Vet Center honor and thank those women who have served in the Armed Forces. No doubt times were hard for those initial pioneers who, before they were allowed to join, took it upon themselves to serve their nation disguised as men - they must have endured amazing challenges.

Thank you to the women who take up the banner of military service everyday, and to those who have come before!

01/19/2018

At some colleges that recruit veterans and their GI Bill money, none graduate - The Hechinger Report

This is a good article to read if you are a veteran thinking about returning to school. Veteran support at two and four year colleges is on the rise, but still needs a lot of improvement. Be smart about where you spend your benefits!

SAN DIEGO — In the main room of a onetime fraternity house at the edge of San Diego State University, a small group of students labors quietly, laser-focused, over textbooks and laptops. This is the Veterans House, its door propped open by a spent artillery shell. It’s where some of the more tha...

01/19/2018

Marin County Veterans' Service Office

Marin County Veterans' Service Office

A growing number of veterans are just now raising their hand and identifying themselves as veterans. For the most part, these are veterans who served in and around Vietnam. NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

01/16/2018

A visionary. A great orator. An imperfect man. A believer. Today was a day to remember struggle and triumph, pain and hope, love and peaceful protest. We hope Martin Luther King Jr.’s spirit inspires you!