United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Black Hills Health Care System

MOVE Program

Welcome to the Black Hills Health Care System MOVE! page. 

You may be asking, “What is MOVE!?” Here is a quick run down:

  • MOVE! stands for Managing Overweight/Obese Veterans Everywhere.
  • MOVE! is a national program that was implemented at VA Black Hills Health Care System in 2006.

The features of MOVE! include:

  • Emphasizing health and
    well-being, not appearance
  • Setting achievable goals
  • Approaching weight management as multifaceted, with nutrition, behavior and physical activity components
  • Focusing on making lifestyle changes, rather than dieting
  • Allowing the individual veteran to determine the intensity of the program

The goals of MOVE! are:

  • To improve quality of life
  • To improve health status
  • To decrease the incidence of weight-related chronic diseases
  • To empower the veteran to improve his or her own health.

At VA Black Hills Health Care System the MOVE! team can work with you to help with encouragement and motivation during your weight loss quest. The MOVE! team leads weekly group sessions at Fort Meade, Hot Springs, Rapid City and Pierre. Monthly group sessions are held at Fort Meade, Hot Springs, Rapid City and Scottsbluff. 

In addition, the MOVE! team can meet with you individually at Fort Meade, Hot Springs and Rapid City.  Finally, if your schedule and/or distance away from these clinics does not allow you to meet with the MOVE! team, we can schedule phone appointments! Phone appointments are a great method to stay in touch and a great method to keep focused.

If you are interested in the MOVE!
program, please call:
1.800.764.5370
extension 9-2273
or
1.800.743.1070
extension 9-7019.

We would love to work with you!
Marni Whalen
VA Black Hills Health Care System
MOVE! Coordinator 

     

link to www.move.va.gov

Meet your VA Black Hills Health Care System MOVE! Team:

Marni Whalen, RD, LN, CDE
MOVE! Coordinator

Casey Thompson, RD, LN
MOVE! Dietitian

Sandy Olson, MSW-PIP
MOVE! Social Worker

Dr. Gary Childers, DO
MOVE! Physician Champion

Dr. Patrick Keohane, PhD
MOVE! Psychologist

Gary Merkel, RKT
MOVE! Kinesiotherapist

Karen Shomer, LCSW
MOVE! Social Worker

You can contact the MOVE! Team by calling:

1.800.764.5370
extension 9-2273
or
1.800.743.1070
extension 9-7019

You can also visit the VA MOVE! site at: www.move.va.gov