Robert Gulley, a 77-year-old Vietnam Veteran and talented sculptor, lived alone in a small rural town in Illinois and had fallen on hard times. He was having trouble with alcohol, and his arthritis made it extremely painful for him to walk. Because of his pain, Gulley had been living in his car, had little contact with the outside world, and had developed ulcers, wounds, and infections from long hours of sitting.

Thanks to the persistence and steadfast dedication of Dr. Anuja Vallabh, Clinical Resource Hub (CRH) provider for VISN 12, Gulley received the lifesaving intervention he needed.

Gulley was referred to Dr. Vallabh, a CRH clinical pharmacist practitioner with a specialty in mental health and substance use disorders, for his alcohol use disorder. She discovered he was living in his car during her check-ins with him.

After many failed attempts to get him to show up for a residential rehabilitation consultation, Dr. Vallabh made the difficult decision to call adult protective services. When the ambulance arrived, Gulley, who is more than six feet tall, was only 127 pounds.

Following rehab, Gulley is walking again with a walker and is gaining weight. “I am glad to be alive,” he said. “I’m doing better.”

Read the full story on VA News.