Latest / Brian Thomas / KRC Cares -- 11/24/25

Transcript

KRC Cares -- 11/24/25 · Brian Thomas

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  Speaker 1: It's eight thirty eight here fifty five KRCD Talk Station.
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  Speaker 1: Please to welcome fifty five KRC Morning Show from the
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  Speaker 1: Cincinni DA Chris Kluk also a veteran himself. He served
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  Speaker 1: between oh three and oh seven in the US Army
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  Speaker 1: one hundred and first Airborne. It was getting some interesting
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  Speaker 1: stories from him. Was there for the Taddam Hussein trial,
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  Speaker 1: but also involved in combat operations overseascrit It's a great yeah, here,
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: move that mic up there. You just stand right into that.
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  Speaker 1: He's on four there, Sean, make sure you got number
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  Speaker 1: four on. Anyhow, I can't thank you enough for your service.
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  Speaker 1: And as I was talking with you about that, I mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: since we're talking about the VA and the benefits you
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  Speaker 1: have to offer there, and we're going to talk about
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  Speaker 1: the new outpatient centers and the iclinic, which are great
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  Speaker 1: development for the VA. But I said that something effectively,
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  Speaker 1: I think I understand post traumatic stress disorder, or just
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  Speaker 1: post traumatic stress as we'll like to call it. I
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  Speaker 1: don't think it's a disorder. I think it's just a reality.
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  Speaker 1: If you've got to get up every day at a
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  Speaker 1: moment's notice and go around kicking indoors where there are
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  Speaker 1: in many cases terrorists behind them waiting to start shooting
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  Speaker 1: at you. And I've heard enough stories from men that
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  Speaker 1: did this, you know, kicking indoors of Fallujah is what
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  Speaker 1: I used to kind of call it, stories about guys
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  Speaker 1: getting shot at with anti aircraft guns from underneath the
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  Speaker 1: floor right when they walk in. And then you got
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  Speaker 1: to do it again. Once you leave that place, clear
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  Speaker 1: that place, You move down the road, do it again,
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  Speaker 1: do it again, do it again, get up the next day,
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  Speaker 1: do the same damn thing. The weight of that on
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  Speaker 1: your melon has got to be overwhelming, the idea that
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  Speaker 1: you have that much adrenaline flowing at all times. It's
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  Speaker 1: just how do you go back to normal if you
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  Speaker 1: can even call what we're living in this world normal.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's the issue. And I didn't have the issue.
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  Speaker 3: Like, while you're over there, going through that experience is
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  Speaker 3: one thing, like you don't really think about it.
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  Speaker 2: It's just your day to day life.
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  Speaker 3: But once you get home and not adrenaline stuffs, that's
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  Speaker 3: where the PTSD kicks in and you start to think
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  Speaker 3: about it, like all that type of stuff. And yeah,
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  Speaker 3: mental health is the most important thing. And I think
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  Speaker 3: talking about it is the most helpful thing. That's what's
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  Speaker 3: he to me over the years. And the VA has
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  Speaker 3: a phenomenal UH mental health program, and I encourage all
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  Speaker 3: veterans to come in and just if you even need
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  Speaker 3: somebody to talk to.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have to go through the full program.
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  Speaker 3: Just come in and talk to somebody if that's going
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  Speaker 3: to help you or someone in your family exactly.
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  Speaker 1: And that's fundamentally really the reason I brought it up,
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  Speaker 1: because you know, over the years, I've learned about all
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  Speaker 1: the programs you have, and who knows better about that
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  Speaker 1: type of scenario, the scenario the American veteran deals with
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  Speaker 1: after service than the American veterans and the folks of
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  Speaker 1: the VA.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, the VA has some like the best mental health
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  Speaker 3: care program in the world because that's the majority of
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  Speaker 3: our patients that we see, and so we've recruited the
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  Speaker 3: best to do the best research and come up with
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  Speaker 3: the best solutions to help our veterans.
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  Speaker 1: And you do every single day. And I was so
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  Speaker 1: so sad to learn that how many men did you
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  Speaker 1: have in your in your was it platoon?
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  Speaker 3: Uh? And our platoon I don't know the exact number,
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  Speaker 3: but I would say it was roughly thirty five thirty.
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  Speaker 1: Six guys in our platoon fastward to right now. Six
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  Speaker 1: of them committed suicide. Six of them committed suicides. We
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  Speaker 1: can't let that happen. You know, every veteran out there,
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure has at least someone in their world who
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  Speaker 1: has close connection with them, knows how they are, can
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  Speaker 1: see these signs of perhaps mental stress and maybe steer
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  Speaker 1: them in the right direction, get them signed up for
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  Speaker 1: their VA benefits. D two to fourteen discharge is all
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  Speaker 1: you're gonna need.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, just talk to them, Ask them if they need help,
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  Speaker 3: Ask them if they want somebody to talk to you,
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  Speaker 3: even if they don't want either go to the VA,
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  Speaker 3: ask them if they'd like to.
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  Speaker 2: Talk to you personally. Well, just let them. Let them
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  Speaker 2: get whatever they need to off their chests.
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  Speaker 1: And a shout out over to my friends at Patriots
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  Speaker 1: Landing in northern Kentucky. It's the wood Shop. They make
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  Speaker 1: these wonderful craft products, but they serve as exactly that
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  Speaker 1: that lifeline for connection among the American veterans. They go,
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  Speaker 1: they commiserate together. It gives them a safe space they
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  Speaker 1: can talk about their trials and tribulations, what's on their
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  Speaker 1: mind and it benefits everybody. Yeah, I know, Pete over there,
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  Speaker 1: that's a great program. It is really an awesome program.
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  Speaker 1: So Patriots Landing folks all right. Didn't need to take
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  Speaker 1: you down that road right out of the gate, Chris,
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  Speaker 1: but I thought it was really important to bring it up.
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  Speaker 1: I know a lot of people struggle with depression and
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  Speaker 1: sadness around the holidays to stating the Aubius. Now what
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  Speaker 1: is going on the VA I hear you're in the
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  Speaker 1: process of relocating the two outpatient clinics as well as
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  Speaker 1: the eye center.
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  Speaker 2: What's this all about? Yeah, the Eye.
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  Speaker 3: Center is we're supposed to have a new opening that
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  Speaker 3: is now slated for December twenty sixth of this year
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  Speaker 3: at twenty ninety Florence Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio four five two
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  Speaker 3: zero six. Now it's going to have optometrists to just
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  Speaker 3: offer routine IE exams, preventing, preventative screening, glaucoma. Ophthalmologists can
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  Speaker 3: diagnose and provide medical and surgical care for conditions like cataracts, glaucoma,
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  Speaker 3: macular degeneration, and a lot more. That center is also
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  Speaker 3: going to offer general optometry and optalmology, low vision and
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  Speaker 3: traumatic brain injury services, to go into the mental health,
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  Speaker 3: contact lenses, retina and cornea services, medical surgical glaucoma. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I've taken a tour of this facility. It's more than
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  Speaker 3: doubled the footprint of the old one. They're gonna offer
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  Speaker 3: a lot more and it's we're looking forward to this
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  Speaker 3: place opening.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: Are these vision services? Is this a new feature for
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  Speaker 1: being a for signing up for VA benefits or have
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  Speaker 1: you always done it? You just outgrew the demand the space.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we've always offered it. We've just outgrown the space
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  Speaker 3: because we recently, I would say over the past two
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  Speaker 3: and a half years, our veteran population of the VA
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  Speaker 3: has gone from forty three to close to fifty thousand people.
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  Speaker 3: So veterans are recognizing the care we offer it the
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  Speaker 3: VA and they're starting to come in.
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  Speaker 1: I am so glad to just play a tiny little
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  Speaker 1: part in that, Chris, I really am, because I listened
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  Speaker 1: when I remember when Bob McDonald was running things. They
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  Speaker 1: could keep appointments and people were they felt like they
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  Speaker 1: were getting the backstab. You know, I served my country
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  Speaker 1: and look at how I'm being treated boy, it's it's
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  Speaker 1: just dramatically turned around.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, things have really changed in the VIDA over the
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  Speaker 3: last I would say five to ten years. I mean
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  Speaker 3: even for the Cincinnativia. In the last I would say,
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  Speaker 3: if you haven't been to the Cincinnati v in the
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  Speaker 3: last nine months, you should come out and check us
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  Speaker 3: out because we have just revamped the whole va. It's
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  Speaker 3: it's new everything. We're building a new primary care center
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  Speaker 3: in there. It's just we've we've gone far and above
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  Speaker 3: to try and create the best space for veterans to
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  Speaker 3: feel the.
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  Speaker 1: Most comfortable, giving them what they deserve. Yep, exactly. Chris
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  Speaker 1: Klube will continue right after these brief words. Don't go away.
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  Speaker 2: Fifty five KRC hey forty eight.
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  Speaker 1: If you got krc DE talk station, hope you're having
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: a decent Monday big show schedule for tomorrow thanks to
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: Joe Strekker's on vacation this weekend. Thank you Sean McMahon
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: for filling in for We're gonna have tech Tuesday Tomorrow day.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: I've had a Congressman Warren Davidson from the Hudson Institute
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: bring him acount talking about latest on energy policies built
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: the inside Scoop with Bright Bart News and the Daniel
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Davis Deep Dive. Thank god for that lineup as they
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  Speaker 1: segue into a long Thanksgiving week and best and happy
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  Speaker 1: Thanksgiving to Chris Klug from the Sincinnti VA who's in studio,
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  Speaker 1: talk about some updates and what's available there, and thank
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  Speaker 1: you to all those folks at the CINCINNIVA serving the
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  Speaker 1: American veterans and doing such a great job with it. Chris,
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  Speaker 1: you had met, you were talking about the vision program,
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  Speaker 1: lots of services. I want to double down on the
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  Speaker 1: glaucoma thing because he's Brian Thomas glaucoma head of surgery
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  Speaker 1: for that. It'll make you go blind. And do you
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  Speaker 1: have high eye pressure right now? If you haven't seen
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  Speaker 1: a doctor, do you know? The answer is no, you don't.
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  Speaker 1: It's not something you can feel. Do you want to
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  Speaker 1: go blind?
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  Speaker 2: No?
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  Speaker 1: So this is great because a lot of people don't
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  Speaker 1: take care of their vision. They just kind of let
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  Speaker 1: it go. Yeah, something pesky could be lurking behind the scenes,
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  Speaker 1: like glauclth a. Then, brother, so let's double down on
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  Speaker 1: that and a freebie.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah the VA.
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  Speaker 3: If you, I would say the majority of veterans that
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  Speaker 3: use our I center will qualify for free eyeglasses as well,
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  Speaker 3: So come into business check it out. I mean, what's
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  Speaker 3: the worst that could happen? You got to walk away
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  Speaker 3: with a pair of free glasses. But also hearing aids,
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  Speaker 3: that's something else. Hearing aids are also free through the
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  Speaker 3: VIA as well. So if you're at home and you
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  Speaker 3: know your husband or wife is spending seven thousand dollars
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  Speaker 3: on hearing aids, check us out at the VA.
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  Speaker 2: See if you can't get them for free.
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  Speaker 1: That's why you serve for that little bit of money.
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  Speaker 2: While you were there.
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  Speaker 1: Getting all these extra benefits, so take advantage of them.
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  Speaker 1: Pivoting back over to oh, telehealth. I asked you off
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  Speaker 1: air about the mental health services that you offer at
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  Speaker 1: the VA. Obviously very popular and thankfully so. But you
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  Speaker 1: do telehealth with mental health?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we telehealth since COVID has become extremely big through
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  Speaker 3: the VA, and the majority of our veterans that see us,
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  Speaker 3: a lot of them want to see like for mental health,
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  Speaker 3: want to do telehealth. They don't want to come down
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  Speaker 3: to Clifton, they don't want to find parking or whatever
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  Speaker 3: the case is, so they opt to do it from
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  Speaker 3: home and that's a big program we offer. So if
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  Speaker 3: you don't want to leave the comfort of your home
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  Speaker 3: and you want to talk to a mental health provider,
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  Speaker 3: we can do it over the computer or over your
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  Speaker 3: phone with you.
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  Speaker 1: Can't check for glack hom over the phone though, I.
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  Speaker 2: Can't do that. I have to come in in person
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  Speaker 2: for that one. All right.
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  Speaker 1: Now, the other you'd mentioned focused on the ie center
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  Speaker 1: and the new one obviously bigger, and it's at twenty
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  Speaker 1: eight ninety Florence Avenue. What about the outpatient the other
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  Speaker 1: outpatient clinics. What's the story on these?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so we're getting too brand new standalone outpatient clinics.
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  Speaker 3: The Hamilton VA Clinic is going to be new and
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  Speaker 3: that they're building that now I've toured out.
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  Speaker 2: It's a beautiful facility.
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  Speaker 3: That one's going to be at seventy two fifteen Gateway Avenue, Hamilton,
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  Speaker 3: Ohio four five zero one one. It's kind of right
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  Speaker 3: off Route four next to Trihalth and Bethesda. This this
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  Speaker 3: location is going to offer primary care, mental health, optometry
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  Speaker 3: as well pedietary physical therapy, lab services, nutrition, pharmacy, consultations, telehealth,
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  Speaker 3: and then we're also going to expand the amount of
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  Speaker 3: primary care providers we have at that location as well,
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  Speaker 3: so we'll be able to serve even more veterans. You know,
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  Speaker 3: I'm glad you have a nutrition program. I say what
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  Speaker 3: you want to about our FK Junior. I think at
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  Speaker 3: least he is bringing it to our attention the importance
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  Speaker 3: of diet and nutrition and how much of an impact
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  Speaker 3: it has on our overall health. I mean, if you
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  Speaker 3: want to stay the hell away from a doctor, really
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  Speaker 3: focus on what you're putting in your bodies, what it
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  Speaker 3: boils down to anymore.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, especially around this time.
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  Speaker 3: You know, with New Year's coming up, everybody wants to
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  Speaker 3: lose some weight and all that, you know, the worst
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  Speaker 3: and yeah, but if that's something you're interested in doing
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  Speaker 3: going into the new year, you know, you don't have
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  Speaker 3: to buy all those apps and pay monthly fees. You
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  Speaker 3: can just come into the VA speak with a nutritionist.
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  Speaker 3: They'll create a meal plan, an exercise program for They'll
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  Speaker 3: do all that for you for free.
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  Speaker 1: That's griesting to come talk to one of us. There's
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  Speaker 1: a lot of people out in the world that are
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  Speaker 1: charging for that service, a lot of money for that. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I'm so good good nutrition as well. All right, now,
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  Speaker 1: let's make it easy. There's a lot of veterans out
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  Speaker 1: in the listening audience, and I'm God bless each and
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  Speaker 1: every one of you, and I'm just honored to have
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  Speaker 1: you among my listening audience. How how do you get
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: sign up for your VA benefits? It's pretty easy. But
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: there's also the Veteran Services Commissions that are in every
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  Speaker 1: county that also will help to the extent you run
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  Speaker 1: at any difficulties. But in the final analysis, you can
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  Speaker 1: do it. It's pretty easy to do. Generally, it's super easy.
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  Speaker 1: All we need is a copier your DD two D
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  Speaker 1: D two fourteen. Just give us a call five one
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  Speaker 1: three four seven, five six four nine nine uh, and
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  Speaker 1: one of our three enrollment specialists.
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  Speaker 3: We'll talk to you over the phone. They can enroll
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  Speaker 3: you over the phone and get you signed up. Probably
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  Speaker 3: takes less than thirty minutes to get signed up for
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  Speaker 3: care less than thirty minutes. And they have some online
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  Speaker 3: services as well, and those I understand can be a
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  Speaker 3: little bit complicated, which is why I again mentioned the
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  Speaker 3: various Veteran Services Commissions out there. I mean, I speak
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: for the Claremont County Veteran Services quite often they'll help
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  Speaker 3: you with that process. They will look The Veteran County
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  Speaker 3: Service offices are great Hamilon and Claremont Butler.
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  Speaker 2: They'll do a fantastic job.
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  Speaker 3: I highly recommend if you want to sign up for
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  Speaker 3: disability benefits or anything like that, contact one of your
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  Speaker 3: local commissions and speak to them.
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  Speaker 1: Right why, plenty of resources available for the American veteran
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  Speaker 1: And again thanks to the Veteran Services Commissions and again
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  Speaker 1: every one of the since Aniva, Chris Kluge, you're doing
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: a great job there. I know you've got your eye
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  Speaker 1: out for your fellow veterans and you'll continue to do
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  Speaker 1: more and more on behalf of the American veterans. And
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  Speaker 1: as I've always I've learned you have a problem. If
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: you run into a challenge, they're there to solve the problem.
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  Speaker 1: You must bring it to their attention. To do that,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: it's like a dropping off a you know, a in
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  Speaker 1: a complaint box. Make sure they know about it, and
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  Speaker 1: I assure you they're going to work to fix whatever
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  Speaker 1: problem you encounter.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we will because we get We asked veterans to
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  Speaker 3: rate us after their appointments and if there's something that
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  Speaker 3: veterans are having an issue with We will work as
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: fast as we can to fix that issue. But currently
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  Speaker 3: we're sitting in a ninety six percent satisfaction rate among
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  Speaker 3: all the veterans that come in, so ninety six percent
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  Speaker 3: of veterans think we're doing a pretty great job.
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  Speaker 1: I let you walk right into that. That was intentional,
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  Speaker 1: my friend, Chris Klub, Thanks for what you're doing, you
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  Speaker 1: and your family. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: and the same thing to all the better all the
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: staff of the Cincinniva, Thanks you too. Thanks for having
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: us anytime, my friend. Anytime. Folks, you need to get
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: a chance to listen to Live Christopher Smithaman this Morning
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: with the Smith Event, of course, some good topics, some money,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Monday's Brian James. I gave you the line up for
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: tomorrow and it's a big one, so heavy can tune
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: into the morning show tomorrow. Remember fifty five krs dot
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  Speaker 1: the listening audience. I love you folks out there. That
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  Speaker 1: streaming app is absolutely amazing, so grab a copy of
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: it while you're at fifty five cars dot com. Have
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: a wonderful day. Thank you Sean McMahon for taking care
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: of Joe Strecker's job for the day. Not that he's replaceable,
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: but if anybody's gonna behind the board, I'm glad Sean's there.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: He'll be there tomorrow as well. Have a great day, folks.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: Uncle Wegg Glenn Beck's coming right up.
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: Today's top headlines coming up at the top of the hour.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: Everything can change in a moment's notice. My fifty five
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: KRC the talkstation. This report