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Veterans concerned over medical care
By BY ERIN ELIZABETH PRADIA - EPRADIA@VICAD.COM
Originally published July 22, 2011 at 9:54 p.m., updated July 22, 2011
at 11 p.m.
NEW CLINIC The VA Outpatient Clinic, in Town Plaza Mall, wants to build
a new facility in Victoria so it will be available when its lease
expires next year.
For more information, call Roger Roehl, manager of primary care for
South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, at 210-617-5300, Ext. 68366.
Veterans are concerned about the level and quality of care they receive
through the Veterans Affairs system.
Almost 50 veterans attended a forum Friday to voice their concerns. The
forum was set to discuss the relocation of the VA Outpatient Clinic in
Victoria, but that appeared to be the least urgent concern for the
veterans.
At the opening of the meeting, Veterans Clinic Network Director Lawrence
Biro, made three promises toward pursuit of the Veterans Clinic's
mission of providing medical and social services to veterans.
"I promise that your service will be second to none; I promise to
maintain and expand services; and I promise you will be individually
satisfied," Biro said.
While the VA clinic is working to get more doctors, Veterans Affairs
representatives said there will be no out patient pharmacy or radiology
clinic. While lab samples will be taken in Victoria, the samples will be
shipped to an out-of-town lab for processing.
When the floor was opened to questions, 48 veterans who gathered at the
American Legion Hall on East Santa Rosa Street expressed concerns about
the quality of care they receive through the Veterans Clinic.
"They are excellent administrators, but they haven't taken the time to
become the veteran at the other end," said veteran Arturo Mendoza. "It
is nice to say you worked somewhere for 15 years, but that doesn't make
a difference when it comes to actually providing the services."
Veterans said they pay out of pocket for services not offered through
the VA hospital because local private practice clinics no longer take
reimbursements from the VA hospital.
Several veterans said they have not been reimbursed for emergency
medical services they had to pay for up front more than a year ago.
Veterans asked why they could not go to local doctors and have the VA
reimburse them, rather than having to drive to San Antonio and wait in
line for care they often never receive.
The representatives said that under the current laws, that is how they
must handle services not offered through the VA hospital.
Veteran Richard O'Neal said once they are able to see a doctor at the
local clinic, the care they receive is good, but there is only one
full-time doctor in primary care and two contract doctors who come in as
needed.
By a show of hands, only four of the veterans who had requested a
routine primary care appointment were seen within 30 days of calling for
an appointment.
"The doctors are working their butts off," O'Neal said. "It seems we
need to expand the clinic. We're just don't have access to proper care."
Dr. Vicki Hannigan, who works at the Victoria outpatient clinic,
admitted that the staffing situation is not optimal. She said the
primary care hospital is working to get four doctors, but she did not
give a time frame for those changes.
Veterans also expressed difficulty in receiving all varieties medicine.
The representatives from the Veterans Affairs gave out their business
cards for veterans to contact them directly when they have issues with
the system.
As the meeting progressed, representatives left their seats on the stage
to have individual talks with smaller groups of the veterans.
Meanwhile, serious medical issues go un-addressed, the veterans said.
Two of the veterans present had suffered heart attacks and one had a
stroke because they were not able to get through the system in an
expedient fashion.
A fourth veteran said he requested an appointment and by the time he was
seen, three months later, cancer spread from the initial area of concern
to three other areas of his body.
"These issues are systemic, they aren't just individual concerns," said
Tony Debona, a veteran of Victoria.
Veterans' Advocate William McLemore, of Victoria, advised veterans to
file complaints or appeals if they were not satisfied with their care.
"I'm not saying you should have to do this, I am being pragmatic with
you," McLemore said. "Until we get better training, the best that I can
tell you is that you have to right to appeal."
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