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VA Medical Centers Extending Hours
June 15, 2007
Change Benefits New Combat Veterans, Older Vets
WASHINGTON -- In order to provide more health care for more veterans,
especially mental health services, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim
Nicholson has directed the 153 medical centers of the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to keep their doors open longer.
“Illness doesn’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule,” Nicholson said. “I’m
directing our medical centers to provide extended hours to ensure we’re
there for the veterans who have earned our care.”
Although the extra hours apply to many hospital-based programs and
services, Nicholson said his latest decision was based upon a desire to
ensure VA’s more than 9,000 mental health professionals are available
when veterans need them.
VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the country and
the nation’s largest mental health program. About 5.5 million veterans
are expected to seek health care from VA’s nationwide system this year,
accounting for about 800,000 hospitalizations and 60 million outpatient
visits.
In recent months, Nicholson has announced a number of initiatives to
improve mental health care for returning combat veterans, including the
hiring of suicide prevention coordinators for each medical center, 100
new adjustment counselors for VA’s 207 Vet Centers, and 100 new medical
center employees to serve as advocates for the severely wounded.
VA’s mental health experts will gather in Washington in July for a
four-day conference reassessing the Department’s programs for veterans,
especially veterans from the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Larry Scott
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