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VA OFFICIAL LOOKS TO FUTURE OF VETERAN CARE --
"The VA can and will do better in the future.
One failure is unacceptable."
The above graphic is just a reminder that
what you are about to read is from a VA official. Take it with a
big grain of salt!
Story here...
http://www.fayobserver.com/
article?id=260014
Story below:
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VA official looks to future of veteran care
By Laura Arenschield
Staff writer
SOUTHERN PINES — The Department of Veterans Affairs hopes to improve
mental health care, reduce the wait for appointments and build more
clinics and offices, a top official said today.
President Bush has proposed a budget to improve problems in the services
the department offers, according to Patrick W. Dunne, the department’s
assistant secretary for policy and planning.
Dunne spoke to members of the Sandhills Chapter of the Military Officers
Association of America at the Belle Meade Retirement Resort in Southern
Pines. About 75 people attended.
The retired admiral said Bush has requested $87 billion for the
Department of Veterans Affairs. Dunne said a large chunk of that money
is allocated for medical care. He alluded to the problems reported at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington by the Washington Post
earlier this year and to problems at VA Hospitals around the country,
then said the department is trying to fix what went wrong.
“The VA can and will do better in the future,” he said. “One failure is
unacceptable.”
Dunne, who has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics,
said part of his job is to use census data and other statistics to
figure out where veterans live so the VA can determine where to build
clinics and offices.
He said the VA sometimes struggles to link veterans with the services
they need and said the department is planning to hire 100 patient
advocates to help veterans navigate the system. Ideally, he said,
veterans would fill those jobs, “so that in essence, we would have
veterans serving veterans.”
Dunne said the VA hopes to improve treatment for soldiers returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan, especially those who have suffered traumatic brain
injuries. He said VA medical providers will soon be trained in
recognizing brain injuries, and said the department plans to screen all
soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring
Freedom for brain injuries.
He said the department is planning to move mental health treatment into
the VA’s primary care clinics, so that veterans can be treated for
mental health problems at a primary care clinic.
“The fact is, VA is seeing more and more veterans with mental health
syndromes,” he said.
Gary Geist, president of the Sandhills Chapter of the Military Officers
Association of America, said he asked Dunne to speak at Tuesday’s
luncheon because he thinks it is important that veterans learn about the
services available to them.
He said he wanted to encourage members of the Sandhills Chapter to
support local VA centers.
Dunne said the department is evaluating its programs and trying to fill
gaps in service.
“We want to anticipate what’s coming in the future,” he said. “And be
ready when it gets here.”
Staff writer Laura Arenschield can be reached
at
arenschieldl@fayobserver.com or 486-3572.
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Larry Scott --
