March Good News Report highlights community, care

The Dayton VA Medical Center released its March 2025 Good News Report, spotlighting compassionate care, special recognitions, and life moments shared by Veterans and staff.

On March 6, congressional staffers, including representatives from Sen. Bernie Moreno's office, visited the medical center to engage directly with Veterans. The visit included hospital room visits and conversations with participants in the mental health residential rehabilitation program. "We are here and we need you. We need this," one Veteran told the staffers, urging continued support for VA services.

Vietnam-era Veterans were honored March 28 in a ceremony at the Community Living Center in recognition of National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Veterans received commemorative pins and listened to live music and remarks from Medical Center Director Jennifer DeFrancesco and Dayton National Cemetery Director Doug Ledbetter.

"We take this honor very seriously," Francesco said. "We have over 13,000 Veterans that we serve here at the Dayton VA who are Vietnam-era Veterans."

The medical center also celebrated Social Work Month, recognizing the contributions of over 130 social workers. Chief of Staff Laura Cox Vance praised their role in care coordination, calling social workers "the glue that binds all of those various services and connections together."

A highlight of the month was a wedding held in the hospital chapel on March 21. Army Veteran Neil Wages and his partner of 28 years, Michelle Sprow, were joined in marriage with the support of Dayton VA staff. The ceremony, planned by social workers and chaplain services, was followed by a small reception with cake and sparkling blush. "We just decided to do it and thought it would be honorable and the thing to do since he served his country," Sprow said. When asked if he felt any different now that he's married, Wages stated, "It's kind of hard to explain, but yeah, I do. I'm happy."