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VA SECRETARY NICHOLSON LABELED "CLUELESS" BY
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER -- Editorial: "Mr.
Nicholson is
clueless...He insults the public...He offered
[a] mindless
mantra...[He] needs to toss his rose-colored
glasses."
VA Secretary Jim Nicholson
The press isn't buying it any more.
They've had enough of Nicholson's "everything
is just fine" nonsense.
When a mainstream newspaper like The
Charlotte Observer lashes out at the VA Secretary, you know there is
a major credibility problem.
Story here...
http://www.charlotte.
com/opinion/story/167973.html
Story below:
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Clueless on VA care
Veterans need help, not Nicholson's mindless
prattle
Stamp "clueless" on the forehead of Veterans Affairs Secretary James
Nicholson.
When Mr. Nicholson made a brief visit to Charlotte Monday, he should
have spent his time assuring veterans and others that the VA is
aggressively tackling documented problems at its facilities here and
elsewhere. Instead, he offered this mindless mantra: That veterans say
they are getting "really good care" and that recent complaints are just
a matter of "semantics" in how some data is being conveyed.
Mr. Nicholson is clueless if he believes that. He insults the public by
tossing out those throwaway lines as an adequate response to a serious
issue. Charlotte veteran and activist Sam Gordon called the secretary's
visit exactly what it was -- public relations. The public -- especially
veterans -- deserves better.
True, many veterans are getting good care at VA facilities, and many
dedicated health professionals are providing it. Few dispute that.
But this newspaper and others have uncovered serious deficiencies with
care at VA hospitals. Problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
spawned ongoing congressional hearings. A presidential commission is
expected to recommend fixes in a few weeks.
The Observer's probe of the Charlotte area's two primary VA hospitals,
in Asheville and in Salisbury, found reports of care so bad
investigators said it endangered patient safety. Lack of training,
staffing shortages, high patient loads and delays in getting medicine to
patients promptly were all cited as problems.
Even as Mr. Nicholson was in Charlotte lauding VA care, soldiers and
their families were on Capitol Hill decrying inadequacies of the system.
One Chapel Hill woman, testifying about poor facilities, government
errors and excessive paperwork, lamented: "No one will take ownership of
the problems."
Thankfully, some lawmakers are willing to take ownership. The Senate has
unveiled legislation to address deficiencies and veterans groups are
praising it. The bill requires a comprehensive policy on the care of
veterans as they move from active military duty into VA facilities. It
also boosts the pay injured troops receive when they leave service, and
requires better housing for the wounded and more research on the kind of
injuries common to the current war, such as traumatic brain injury.
To its credit, the Army already is planning to increase the number of
health professionals, spending $33 million to add about 200
psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to help soldiers with
post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health needs.
This is the kind of action veterans deserve in response to their
legitimate complaints. Secretary Nicholson, however, has been
proclaiming since March that problems are rare and more perception than
reality.
Facts say otherwise. The head of Veterans Affairs needs to toss his
rose-colored glasses and join others in fixing the system so all
veterans can get the care they need.
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Larry Scott --
