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BROCKTON VETERANS WANT THEIR EMERGENCY ROOM
BACK -- Several years ago, the emergency room
in
Brockton was eliminated. Now, there is
just an urgent care center.
Related story here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfJAN07/nf011807-4.htm
Today's story here...
http://www.boston.com/news/l
ocal/articles/2007/01/18/restoring
_er_is_a_priority_for_veterans/
Story below:
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Restoring ER is a priority for veterans
By Sandy Coleman, Globe Staff
With President Bush planning to send an additional 21,500 troops to
Iraq, maintaining services and restoring emergency care at the veterans
hospital in Brockton becomes even more important, say area legislators,
city officials, and veterans.
It is not right that returning veterans who need VA-covered emergency
care in the region must either travel to West Roxbury or go without, say
veterans' advocates.
Several years ago, the emergency room at the Veterans Administration
hospital on Belmont Street in Brockton was eliminated. There is still an
urgent care center, but "we do not have the capacity to treat
life-threatening situations," said Diane Keefe, a spokes woman for the
VA Boston Healthcare System, of which Brockton is a part.
For more than two years, Richard Hand, a former Marine and a legislative
officer for the Disabled American Veterans chapter in Brockton, has led
a local effort to change that. "Dedication and loyalty of our veterans
needs to be refilled," he said.
Brockton city officials have gotten involved. City Council members last
month passed a resolution that urged legislators to fully fund all
veterans administration hospitals -- in Brockton and throughout the
country -- and to restore the full-time emergency room at the Brockton
VA hospital. The VA Boston Healthcare System serves 60,000 veterans
throughout Eastern Massachusetts.
"Looking out for the best interests of the veterans is what we are
trying to do," said Dennis Eaniri, Brockton City Council president.
Budget cuts always "seem to go to retirees and veterans instead of some
of the other things that should be looked at," he said. "It is a great
issue for them to have the emergency room in operation. A lot of
veterans, because of cost factors, use the emergency room. Some of the
veterans don't have a lot of insurance coverage."
On Beacon Hill, state Representative Anthony J. Verga, a Gloucester
Democrat and the House chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and
Federal Affairs, plans to file a resolution calling on Washington to
provide mandatory funding for veterans' healthcare, said Sarah Keller-Likins,
Verga's legislative aide. The funding is now discretionary, which has
resulted in cuts in services, such as limiting access to services at VA
medical centers like the one in Brockton, she said. "With so many of our
men and women in harm's way around the world, and on the eve of what
could be... the largest troop increase since the Iraq-Afghan conflict
began," Verga said, it is "outrageous" that veterans' programs are not
fully funded.
The Brockton hospital has, in the age of budget cuts, evolved as a
facility primarily for long-term care, treating substance abuse, mental
illness, and problems such as spinal cord injury, Keefe said.
At this point, there are no places to restore the emergency room, she
said, although the urgent care center is open around the clock. Still,
the service there does not extend to veterans facing potentially fatal
conditions. "We would hope that any veteran that feels they are having a
heart attack would not come here first as a first stop but go to a
facility in the area that can treat them appropriately," she said.
Throughout the VA Boston Healthcare System, there are 600,000 outpatient
visits a year. "To put Brockton urgent care in perspective, on a daily
basis from 4 p.m. to midnight, on average, five patients seek care,"
said Keefe. "From midnight to 8 a.m., on average, two patients seek
care. During the daytime hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a daily basis,
on average, 40 patients seek care.
Veterans have worried about further cuts in Brockton VA Hospital
services. Published reports have suggested hospital officials might
reduce the hours of the urgent care center as part of a revamp of the
entire VA system. To date, no cuts have been made, said Keefe.
Brockton City Councilor Dennis DeNapoli, who proposed the City Council
resolution, remains skeptical. "The VA hospital is telling me that
nothing is being cut. I really don't believe them. They are cutting," he
said. "I'm just hearing what the veterans are telling me. And they don't
have the means to get to West Roxbury."
Meanwhile, members of the Congressional delegation say they are fighting
to restore and improve services to veterans.
"We are truly fortunate to have a VA hospital in Brockton that is
staffed by exceptional doctors, nurses, and staff," said US
Representative Stephen Lynch. "As a delegation, we continue to be
disappointed by the VA's push to consolidate our VA facilities and cut
back on services for our veterans.
"We need to focus on issues like paying our VA doctors, nurses,
therapists, and staff a salary that is commensurate with their skill and
service; modernizing our existing VA facilities, and improving the
transportation system for veterans, so that they continue to get the
high quality of care that they deserve."
Sandy Coleman can be reached by e-mail at
sbcoleman@globe.com.
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Larry Scott
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