I’m a social worker at the Madison VA on a mental health team and work with a patient who has refused to get medical care (he only receives mental health care) from the VA, despite every intervention on our part, even though he was eligible for free care. He had had a negative experience with the VA years ago. Unfortunately, because of his mental illness, he was unable to consistently access medical care outside the VA and received his care from emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. He has Stage 5 kidney disease and requires dialysis and we had been strongly encouraging him to go through the VA because then we could help with coordination. Out of desperation to get a prescription filled after hours, this patient went to the MVA Hospital Emergency Department. James Kozak, RN was the first person he met in the ED. The patient later recalled how kind Mr. Kozak was, telling me that the VA has really changed. After that experience, this client was willing to establish his medical care and get dialysis from the VA. He has an initial appointment set up and feels very hopeful. I have no doubt that this will change (or even save) this patient’s life. We never have any idea the impact we can have on another person and Mr. Kozak certainly made an impact.