Carroll area nurse ensures homeless veterans 'are heard'

By KATIE BORKOWSKI
Special to Lumen Media
 
With a sculpture of Jesus hugging a soldier between them, Anne Loew meets with her patients, military veterans.

“This is what starts conversations in regard to spirituality and where they’re at in their faith,” said the nurse practitioner employed with Veterans Administration (VA) Central Iowa that serves a population within a 50-mile radius of Carroll. “A lot of them do not realize Christ was with them at that moment, whether they felt him or not.”

She meets with patients in a Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC) at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll. She is a parishioner at St. John Paul II Parish and is married to Deacon Alan Loew.
“I work exclusively with veterans. I have my own panel of patients here in Carroll who I take care of,” said Loew, who has been serving the veterans for 13 years. “I am considered their primary care provider. I address their basic medical needs, refer them to specialty services and get them plugged in with various mental health providers as well.”

She acknowledged she loves this work and working with the veterans. She found when she began working at the VA, “it was a very good way to be of service to others, especially those who served to help us protect our freedoms.”

“It's a population that can have a lot of wounds, either physical or mental from their childhood, their adulthood or from their time in the service,” said Loew. “It's been a wonderful way to take care of the whole person. I think as I came back into my faith, it was also a way to take care of them spiritually.”

Homeless veterans
The newest phase of her work includes outreach to homeless veterans, explaining those services are all through the VA.

“One of the VA’s biggest goals is to reduce the amount of homelessness nationwide,” said the nurse practitioner. “The central Iowa VA, which is in Des Moines, started their homeless program in December of 2024. So, it's fresh. We are actually unique because we're the only one that does it this way in the nation.”

They have a mobile medical unit that goes to one of the VA’s Community Resource and Referral Centers (CRRC).

“This is nationwide,” said Loew. “We all have them. The mobile unit goes to our CRRC because that's where our homeless guys hang out. We're able to provide medical care there via telemedicine.”

Prior to Loew serving in this position, another nurse practitioner in the system was working with the homeless veterans. When this person left, she requested that Loew take over the position.

“I prayed on it,” she said. “I said that I wanted to do it. I manage their medical care just like I do with my face-to-face guys. I'm considered their provider.”

This type of work, she said, is considered a team-based ministry.

“The CRRC is staffed with social workers, occupational therapists, that actually go to the veterans, wherever they might be housed or unhoused,” explained the nurse practitioner. “It's a team effort to get these guys cared for. Historically, it used to be, ‘Well, we have to take care of their mental health issues, and then we can get them housed.’ What they've realized in all homeless situations, you have to get them housed before you can work on their other issues.’”

Loew acknowledged that it is the basic necessities homeless veterans require.
“It's the Corporal Works the Mercy – feed the poor, clothe the naked, etc.,” she said. “It’s the Beatitudes. It's about being in relationship.”

This ministry, Loew pointed out, is like a vocation within her vocation as a nurse practitioner. It is her job, but it is also a ministry.

“My job is to allow Christ to work through me, so they feel like they are heard,” she said. “Most of it is childhood trauma, adult trauma, military trauma and untreated mental health disorders. They don't know how to take care of themselves. We are called to take care of those that don't know how to take care of themselves. It goes back to, it's not anything that I'm doing, I'm trying to let God work through me.”

Currently, Loew is scheduled one day a week and soon possibly two days a week because of the need. She is able to work from her office in Carroll.

“Then the van goes to the office in Des Moines, which is right north of Methodist,” she said. “We hook up and do everything via telemedicine. I can hear things on that stethoscope that I can't hear with my own stethoscope sometimes.”

A technician and a nurse are with the patient to help facilitate the appointment.
 
Goals for the future
In the future, Loew would like to take the needs of veterans to the diocesan level to have a collection day. She noted it would need to be approved through patient volunteer services.

At the CRRC, there is a room where veterans can go to get clothing, shoes, bedding, cleaning supplies, kitchen supplies, etc. These are the types of items she would like to see collected for the veterans.

At the CRRC the veterans can also shower, wash and dry their laundry, search for employment and simply hang out.

“I want to do something where we fill the room (with donations),” said Loew. “I would like to see Kuemper (Catholic School) do it, and then I want to challenge all the schools in the diocese to contribute something to their homeless shelters. I think a lot of people don't realize there's homeless people here in Carroll.”

Statistics, aid
There has been some improvement in assisting veterans nationwide, according to an article published by VA News in November 2024, “the data shows an 11.7% reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness since 2020 and a 55.6% reduction since 2010.”

“The PIT Count is an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January,” noted in the article. “The data show there were 32,882 veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States in January 2024, 13,851 of whom were unsheltered - down from 35,574 and 15,507 in 2023, respectively. This represents a 10.7% decrease in unsheltered veteran homelessness nationwide in the last year.” 

The article also noted the VA’s efforts to address veteran homelessness “are grounded in reaching out to homeless veterans, understanding their unique needs and addressing them. These efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a veteran into housing, then providing or connecting them with the wraparound services and supports they need to stay housed - including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.”

Veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness can call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit VA.gov/homeless to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans.

Borkowski is a freelance writer based in Carroll County. She attends St. Rose of Lima Parish, Manning Sacred Heart Church.

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