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Making VA Care as Easy as Amazon: How LaKeisha Brooks Is Connecting Veterans Wherever They Are

By Camille D. Ford | November 2025

Summary

LaKeisha Brooks, Connected Care Program Manager at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, transforms a simple observation from her time as a nurse on duty into a digital access revolution. Through Veteran Health Resource Center tables, Telehealth Access Point sites, and a philosophy that “if you can use Amazon, you can do this,” she’s eliminating barriers for rural veterans across three states. Her mission: make virtual care so easy that all you have to do is roll over, swipe up, and click a link.

LaKeisha Brooks was working as a nurse on duty when she started seeing the pattern. Veterans cancel appointments. Not because they didn’t want care. Not because they didn’t need care. But because they couldn’t find a ride. Because they lived too far. Because getting equipment delivered took too long when you were an hour from the nearest VA clinic.

She kept thinking the same thing: “Why are we not using online sources, the internet? Even something as simple as Amazon. Why aren’t we using Amazon? Why aren’t we using Uber and Lyft? Why aren’t we using all the other resources that are out there in the world versus in person?”

That question, why aren’t we using what already works, became the foundation of everything LaKeisha Brooks has built as Connected Care Program Manager at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. Now she oversees VA Video Connect, My HealtheVet, and VA Home Telehealth monitoring programs across middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Georgia, bridging the gap between where veterans live and the care they’ve earned.

But her real work isn’t about platforms or technology. It’s about translation. It’s about taking a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who thinks he can’t do virtual care and showing him: “I see you got solitaire on your phone. If you’re playing solitaire, you can do this. You got Facebook? If you’re doing Facebook, you can do this.”

It’s about making VA health care as easy as ordering from Amazon.

The Distance Problem

Nearly 25% of veterans live in rural areas with limited broadband access. For them, access to care isn’t just about eligibility or waiting times. It’s about miles. It’s about whether you can find someone to drive you an hour each way. It’s about whether the internet tower reaches your house. It’s about whether missing work for an appointment means not making rent.

Brooks saw this problem as a nurse on duty before joining VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System’s virtual care team. Veterans would call to cancel. “I don’t have a ride.” “I can’t get there.” “It’s too far.” Every cancellation meant delayed care, worsening conditions, preventable complications.

The solution seemed obvious to Brooks: to meet veterans where they are, digitally. If they have a phone, if they have internet, why make them drive an hour when they can click a link?

But obvious solutions are never simple. Getting a 70-year-old veteran comfortable with video appointments. Training providers trust that virtual care works. Building partnerships with community organizations to create access points. Installing the infrastructure. Fighting the misconceptions. All of it takes work most people never see.

Human Translation

Brooks’s favorite part of her job isn’t technology. It’s the moment when a veteran realizes they can actually do this.

“I’ve actually had veterans say, ‘Well, I don’t want to do it if I’m just going to get one of those automatic responses,'” Brooks explains. “I was like, ‘No, sir, that’s not you. Somebody’s actually going to type.’ And I was like, ‘You’ll see some misspelled words and imperfect speech just for you, you know, that’s somebody, you’re human.'”

The fear is real. Veterans worry that virtual care means talking to robots, getting automated messages, losing the human connection that matters when you’re discussing your health. Brooks’s job is to show them: there are real nurses, real doctors, real people on the other end. When you send a secure message through My HealtheVet, a real person types back. When you join a video appointment, that’s your actual provider on screen.

“You are human,” she tells them. She means it.

The other fear is capability. Veterans, especially older ones, think they can’t do technology. Providers sometimes think the same thing. “Some providers have told me, ‘I don’t think the veteran can do it because they’re older,'” Brooks says. “And I’m thinking, ‘What? You shouldn’t base it off age. A lot of these older veterans, 70, 80 years old, are doing things virtually. They’re on Amazon. If you’re on Amazon buying off Amazon, then you can.'”

That’s her go-to example. If you can order something on Amazon, you can join a video appointment. If you play solitaire on your phone, you have the skills you need. Technology isn’t the barrier. Belief is the obstacle.

So, Brooks shows them. She does test calls. She sits beside veterans and walks them through it step by step. “I’m on your phone. Am I on your phone?” she asks. “Yeah,” they say. “See, it really works.”

The VHRC Tables: Where Magic Happens

Brooks quickly identifies the VHRC tables as the key innovation for veteran adoption of virtual care.

VHRC stands for Veteran Health Resource Centers, but at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, it’s not a brick-and-mortar building. It’s tables. Simple tables set up twice a week in the main lobbies of Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, and Chattanooga facilities. Nice tablecloths. Some swag like key chains, pens, and lanyards. And staff who can help with anything tech-related.

“Veterans bring in their laptop, iPad, iPhone. They got all of it,” Brooks says with a laugh. “They come in with all their stuff, and they want us to help them with all of it. So, we help them with all of it.”

The staff at these tables aren’t just virtual care specialists. They’re full-service tech support. You want your iPhone to talk to your iPad? They’ll set that up. Your laptop isn’t showing video? They’ll fix it. You can’t hear audio? They’ll troubleshoot that too.

“My technology people are really savvy, not just with telehealth but like all technology,” Brooks explains. “So, you want your iPhone to talk to your iPad? Got you. Your laptop, something’s not working, you can’t hear, you don’t have video? Okay, let’s get in there and fix that too.”

At the end of every session, they do test calls. They don’t just tell veterans it will work. They show them it works. Veterans walk away with everything set up, tested, and ready to use for their next appointment.

The VHRC tables solve something that instructions and phone support can’t: the need to see it work in real time with someone patient standing beside you saying, “You’ve got this.”

Building TAP Sites: The Essential Infrastructure Work

For veterans who live in areas with no cell towers, no internet access, no way to connect from home, Brooks and her team built something else: Telehealth Access Point (TAP) sites.

TAP sites are partnerships between VA and community organizations – veteran service offices, American Legions, places that already serve veterans in rural counties. The process of establishing one is meticulous.

First, Brooks’s team looks at the numbers. How many veterans live in rural counties without VA clinics nearby? Where are the gaps? Once they identify a target county, they reach out to potential community partners.

Then comes the inspection. They need a safe building. Handicap ramp? Check. Additional exit door? Check. No firearms or alcohol immediately visible? Check. Fire extinguisher? Recommended. No smoking signs? Suggested. Brooks’s team doesn’t purchase these things – they inspect and advise. The community partner maintains their own building, and VA decides whether to move forward.

They also need infrastructure: a private room with a door that closes, a computer, reliable internet. Privacy matters. When a veteran discusses their medical history, their mental health, their personal struggles, they need to know the whole lobby isn’t listening.

Once inspections are complete, they draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that gets approved by executive leadership. The MOU establishes expectations: the site will maintain certain hours, notify about power outages or closures, and provide a safe space for veterans to connect to their providers.

Then they train volunteers. Not just on how virtual visits work, but on My HealtheVet, on login.gov and ID.me for multi-factor authentication, on troubleshooting cameras and microphones. These volunteers aren’t medical staff, but they are tech guides who help veterans log in, get connected, and solve technical problems in real time.

If the volunteers can’t fix something, they don’t tell the veteran to call the main hospital line and press one. They have direct phone numbers to Brooks’s team. Real-time support for real-time problems.

The result? A veteran living an hour from the nearest VA clinic can drive 20 minutes to their local veteran service office, walk into a private room, and have a video appointment with their VA provider. It’s not perfect – they still have to travel. But 20 minutes beats an hour. A family member giving them a ride beats canceling the appointment entirely.

“That’s our workaround for it,” Brooks explains simply.

The Platform Ecosystem

Brooks oversees three main platforms that work together to create a complete virtual care experience.

My HealtheVet is the foundation. Every veteran has a basic account, but Brooks’s team focuses on getting them premium accounts with multi-factor authentication through login.gov or ID.me. With a premium account, veterans can send secure messages to their providers, view lab results, check appointment schedules, refill prescriptions – all without playing phone tag.

“[I get my health care] in the private sector, so I do the phone tag with my provider,” Brooks says. “We don’t have a messaging system, and I miss calls all the time because I’m at work. They call me, I call them, they call me. It doesn’t make sense. So, I love this platform for veterans.”

It’s asynchronous communication that respects people’s lives. You can send a message at 2 a.m. if that’s when you remember your question. Your provider responds when they’re available. No missed calls. No voicemail tag. Just communication that works.

Home Telehealth takes it further. When a veteran has a diagnosis like high blood pressure, VA sends them a connected device – a blood pressure monitor that automatically transmits readings to the system. No writing numbers on paper that gets lost. No forgetting to report readings. The data flows directly to the care team.

If a reading comes back high or low, the assigned nurse calls. They might do a video visit right then: “Your blood pressure was 175 over 95 this morning. You’re looking a little puffy around the eyes. Are you swollen? Did you take your diuretic? Did you weigh yourself because you could be retaining fluid?”

It’s proactive care. Catching problems before they become emergencies. Adjusting medications before a stroke happens. All without the veteran having to drive anywhere.

VA Video Connect is the virtual appointment itself. The veteran receives an email or text with a link. At appointment time, they click the link. Their provider appears on screen. They talk, they show symptoms if needed, they discuss treatment plans.

“If you need an appointment where physical contact is involved, then you would have a face-to-face appointment,” Brooks explains. “But if you have an appointment where listening is involved, visualization too, you can see rashes, you can see if something’s red and swollen, you don’t have to necessarily touch it. You can see it.”

She points out something people forget: many appointments don’t involve hands-on assessments anyway. Mental health appointments are just talking. Follow-ups after surgery can be visual assessments. Medication management discussions happen sitting across from each other in chairs.

“When you go to the doctor, they don’t touch you anyway,” Brooks notes. “They’re just talking. So, there’s no touching.”

The Metrics That Matter

For Brooks, success isn’t measured in platform downloads or video call volume. It’s measured in veteran satisfaction first.

“If you’re not satisfied with what’s happened at the VA, then you’re not coming back,” she says simply.

After satisfaction comes utilization. How many veterans have premium My HealtheVet accounts? How many are actively using secure messaging?  How many are sending and receiving messages regularly?

Brooks’s team filters data by age groups and locations. They target veterans who have accounts but aren’t using them. “Hey, you’re not sending messages. Let me help you. Let me tell you about this program. Let me show you what this is.”

She is now focusing on certain age groups and clinics to further refine outreach.

The goal isn’t just adoption. It’s sustained use. It’s veterans who learn to use secure messaging for quick questions, who check their appointments online instead of calling, who monitor their blood pressure at home and know their care team is watching the data. It’s veterans who roll over with their phone when they don’t feel good enough to get dressed and drive, click the link, and have their appointment anyway.

The Misconceptions She Fights

Providers sometimes think veterans can’t do virtual care. Veterans sometimes think virtual care can’t help them. Both are wrong, but for different reasons.

“From the provider side, it would be that the veteran can’t do it,” Brooks says. “How do you know they can’t do it? Or they don’t want to do it?”

There’s a difference between capability and preference. Some veterans genuinely prefer in-person care, and that’s fine. But assuming older veterans can’t handle technology? That’s provider bias, not veteran limitation.

From the veteran side, the misconception is: “I can’t do it, or I don’t think it’s going to work. They’re not going to be able to help me through video.”

Brooks tackles this head-on with education. “The world has taught us that video, people can see just about anything nowadays. Even though we don’t want to see it, you can see it on video. People will show you anything. So, you can still make a diagnosis from seeing someone’s rash or surgical incision on video because you can still tell if it’s red and swollen. You don’t need to touch it. You can see it.”

She’s right. Telemedicine works for the same reason FaceTime works for families, Zoom works for businesses, and video calls work for everything else: humans are visual creatures, and seeing is powerful.

What Brooks Wishes Everyone Understood

When asked what she wishes more people understood about VA virtual care, Brooks’s answer is immediate and practical.

“Virtual appointments are very similar to face-to-face appointments, and it is increasing your access to care. So, you can schedule a virtual appointment, and if you don’t have a ride, you don’t need a ride. You don’t feel good that day? You’re kind of dizzy; you can’t get dressed; you don’t want to get in the car? That’s fine. You got a virtual appointment. You don’t have to cancel. Don’t cancel, don’t no-show.”

She paints the picture clearly: “All you gotta do is roll over with your phone. You don’t have to do your hair, don’t have to brush your teeth, none of that. You roll over, Face ID, open your phone, get to your email or get to your text messages, and click your virtual visit. Just that easy.”

When the appointment ends, you click “end” and put the phone down. That’s it. Care delivered without leaving bed.

For veterans in rural areas, this isn’t about convenience – it’s access. For veterans with mobility challenges, it’s independence. For veterans juggling work and appointments, it’s possibility.

Brooks’s Veterans Day Vision

When asked what Veterans Day means to her, Brooks describes a vision that’s both idealistic and telling.

“In the perfect world for Veterans Day, we would be able to do a Goodyear blimp,” she says, laughing but seriously. “All day on the news, it would just be reporting all things veterans. There would be programs and shows on all day long. VA, obviously, we would be featured in several of those, and it would be telling the veterans what’s available, who to contact, how to get this done.”

Right now, Brooks points out, if you don’t watch the morning news, you might not even know it’s Veterans Day. “There is nothing else. There’s nothing happening when you’re driving to work. The billboards don’t say it. There ain’t nothing flying in the air. There’s nothing on the radio about Veterans Day.”

Her point cuts deep: “If you don’t have a veteran in your life or you don’t work in that environment, then you don’t know.”

Brooks wants everyone to know. She wants Veterans Day to be impossible to miss. She wants every veteran to know what resources exist, how to access them, who to call. She wants awareness to be loud, persistent, unavoidable.

“It would be nothing but veteran information all day long, all over the internet,” she says.

Until that day comes, she’ll keep setting up VHRC tables, establishing TAP sites, training volunteers, doing test calls, and telling veterans: “If you can use Amazon, you can do this.”

The Mission

LaKeisha Brooks’s mission comes down to a single image: a veteran rolling over in bed, swiping up on their phone, clicking a link, and getting the care they need without worrying about a ride, without canceling, without missing the appointment that could change their health trajectory.

She’s building the infrastructure – technical, physical, and educational – that makes that possible for 146,000-plus veterans across three states.

It’s not glamorous work. It’s MOUs and site inspections and volunteer training and test calls and troubleshooting audio problems. It’s sitting in lobbies with tablecloths and swag, helping veterans connect their iPhone to their iPad. It’s answering the same questions over and over with patience because this is someone’s first time, and it matters that they get it right.

But it’s also transformative work. Because every veteran who learns to send a secure message is a veteran who doesn’t miss care because of phone tag. Every veteran who monitors their blood pressure at home is a veteran whose stroke gets prevented. Every veteran who clicks that link instead of canceling is a veteran whose health improves because distance didn’t win.

Brooks saw the problem as a Nurse on Duty: veterans canceling appointments because of barriers that had nothing to do with whether they wanted or needed care.

Now, as Connected Care Program Manager, she’s eliminating those barriers one test call, one TAP site, one VHRC table at a time.

“You don’t have to worry about a ride, don’t worry about not showing up, don’t worry about not feeling good,” Brooks says. “All you gotta do is roll over with your phone.”

For the 146,000-plus veterans VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System serves, having a leader who believes virtual care should be as easy as Amazon, who fights provider assumptions that age equals inability, and who builds the infrastructure that makes connection possible regardless of distance, means they’re one link-click away from the care they’ve earned.

LaKeisha Brooks is making it that easy.

Resources for Veterans and Healthcare Professionals

VA Virtual Care and Digital Health

VA Healthcare and Patient Care Services

Mental Health and Wellness Support

Technology Access and Support

VA Careers and Employment

Connect with Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

  • Tennessee Valley Healthcare System: VA Tennessee Valley Health Care | Veterans Affairs
  • VHRC Tables: Available twice weekly at Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, and Chattanooga facilities
  • TAP Sites: Contact your local Veteran Service Office for telehealth access points

About LaKeisha Brooks

LaKeisha Brooks, Registered Nurse and Connected Care Program Manager at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, oversees VA Video Connect, My HealtheVet, and Home Telehealth programs across middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northwestern Georgia. With extensive nursing experience and a passion for eliminating barriers to care, she has established multiple Telehealth Access Point sites in rural communities and launched Veteran Health Resource Center tables that provide hands-on technology support to veterans. Her mission: make virtual care so easy that all veterans have to do is roll over with their phone and click a link.

Veteran Excellence Magazine celebrates outstanding leadership in veteran healthcare and services.

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