The Milwaukee VA is continuing to accept participants in the Million Veteran Program, which will allow researchers to make gene-health connections and could advance disease screening, diagnosis and treatment into numerous illnesses for decades to come.
All veterans enrolled for healthcare at the VA are invited to participate by giving a blood sample and fill out a health survey. Participants agree to possible further contact by the MVP staff.
Veterans can make an appointment to donate blood at the VA by calling 866-441-6075. Walk-ins are also welcome from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Room 5410, on the fifth floor of the medical center. It takes about 15 minutes for the entire process.
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All blood and medical information is kept in a secure database that will only be used by authorized researchers in the VA, other federal health agencies, and academic institutions within the United States.
The Milwaukee VA Medical Center is one of 40 VAs nationwide participating in the program, and leads all other VAs in the country with number of participants. Milwaukee hopes to get 25,000 participants in five to seven years. Since October, nearly 900 veterans have participated locally, and the MVP office gets about 20 more participants per day.
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MVP hopes to help researchers better understand the role genes play in our health. For example, this research may tell us why some people are more responsive to certain medicines or why certain individuals are more likely to develop diseases like diabetes or heart disease. Participation doesn’t mean veterans will see an immediate, personal benefit. But research findings may lead to new ways of preventing and treating illnesses in veterans and all Americans in the future.
For more information on the program, log onto www.research.va.gov/MVP .