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BOSTON-AREA VA HOSPITAL CONSOLIDATION PROPOSALS

UNDER FIRE -- Veterans who struggle with long commutes

and frustrating waits could have even more to worry about.

 

 

Story here... http://www.boston.com/news/local/
massachusetts/articles/2007/02/04/boston_area_
va_hospital_consolidation_proposals_under_fire/

Story below:

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Boston-area VA hospital consolidation proposals under fire

By Andrew Miga, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON --Massachusetts veterans who already struggle with long commutes and frustrating waits for services at four Boston-area Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals could have even more to worry about.

The VA is considering plans to consolidate treatment services at its facilities in Bedford, Brockton, and Boston's West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain sections.

Lynn Moran, the executive director of the North Shore Veterans Counseling Services Inc., a Beverly-based counseling outreach center that serves 35 cities and towns, said the VA proposals could create more hardships for many veterans and their families.

One proposal would be to transfer inpatient care from Bedford to Brockton.

"Transportation is a big issue for a lot of them," Moran said. "The veterans that I see here are not happy about the prospect."

Veterans also worry that consolidating services could mean longer waits, she said.

"I would assume there would be a longer waiting period if they're jamming all these places into one," Moran said. "Some of the waiting times are a problem now. There's got to be a better way."

That's a sentiment echoed by the Massachusetts congressional delegation, which is stepping up its fight against the VA proposals.

"When you pick up something and move it, it's a huge disruption," said Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., who serves on a House panel with jurisdiction over the VA. "You hurt patients, you hurt their families and you lose staff."

The VA, however, said its restructuring could help pave the way for modernization and improved care.

"In order to keep (the four hospitals) functional over the next 20 or 30 years, we have to spend about $300 million without any major modernization," said Jay Halpern, a special assistant to Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson. "So the question is, are there opportunities to build very modern facilities by finding some efficiencies through consolidation?"

Halpern stressed that any changes would be gradual, over a period of five years or more.

The American Legion complained that VA officials have not been responsive to the needs of local veterans as they weigh consolidation options.

"We are categorically against any of the options offered," said George Guertin, department service officer for the American Legion in Massachusetts.

Guertin branded the VA proposals as "a negative sea change for the delivery of health care" to area veterans.

Members of the congressional delegation, led by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., met recently with Nicholson to voice their opposition.

"Any consolidation of facilities or services for America's veterans is unacceptable," said Kennedy in a statement. "The Veterans Administration should focus on providing veterans with care and facilities that honor their sacrifice and service to the United States."

Another delegation meeting with Nicholson is expected after he receives a consultant's report on proposals for the Boston-area hospitals. The report is expected as soon as March. A public meeting in Massachusetts on the proposals is also expected before Nicholson makes a decision.

One of the most controversial options would be to move inpatient care from Bedford to Brockton. Lawmakers are also concerned that the VA could close either the Jamaica Plain or West Roxbury facility.

Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., whose district includes the Bedford facility, said such a move would create problems for veterans and their families, many of whom already travel great distances to Bedford for treatment.

"It's a tremendous strain on the vets to travel that far," he said.

Tierney noted that Bedford, with more than 500 beds, has one of the nation's premier Alzheimer's disease treatment centers as well as top-flight rehabilitation programs.

"They are things that cannot be replicated anywhere else," Tierney said. "We have a good thing and it is working. Don't change something that isn't broken."

Tierney said the VA should also factor in how veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will have an impact on future demands for care. He expects the new wave of veterans will strain an already overburdened health care system.

"There's a paucity of information about that," Tierney said. "They ought to evaluate that before making an arbitrary decision."

A previous proposal to close all four Boston hospitals and create a single medical center for the metropolitan area was rejected by the VA in July 2006. The state's congressional delegation waged a two-year fight to defeat the proposal.

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Larry Scott  --