: VA reveals plan for restructuring veterans health care system

[Guest guest]

August 7, 2003

>

> VA reveals plan for restructuring veterans health care system

>

> By Tanya N. Ballard

> <tballardtballard

>

> A draft proposal from the Veterans Affairs Department for overhauling the

> veterans health care system that includes closing seven medical facilities

> is drawing mixed reactions from veterans advocacy groups.

>

> The draft Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services

> (<http://www.va.gov/cares/page.cfm?pg=105>CARES) proposal, released Monday

> by the department, is a 20-year realignment plan for the aging health care

> infrastructure system that serves 4.5 million patients at a cost of about

> $25 billion a year.

>

> Under the proposal, hospitals in Canandaigua, N.Y.; Pittsburgh; Lexington,

> Ky.; Brecksville, Ohio; Gulfport, Miss.; Livermore, Calif.; and Waco,

Texas

> would close. A 15-member commission will review the proposal and send a

> recommendation to VA Secretary Anthony Principi at the end of the year.

> Principi will issue a final decision in early 2004.

>

> Dr. Robert Roswell, undersecretary for health at VA, briefed CARES

> commission members Thursday on the draft proposal, which also includes

> opening new hospitals in Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., as well as adding

new

> spinal cord injury centers in Denver; Minneapolis; Syracuse or Albany,

> N.Y.; and Little Rock, Ark., and centers for the blind in Biloxi, Miss.,

> and Long Beach, Calif. According to Roswell, the average veterans health

> care facility is more than 50 years old and the growing number of

vacancies

> in some facilities has drawn criticism from the General Accounting Office.

> Under the CARES plan, services would be shifted to areas with a higher

> concentration of veterans.

>

> We looked at existing facilities, we looked at the existing veteran

> population and we tried to forecast what the veteran population would need

> in terms of health care,Roswell said Thursday. The plan expands veterans

> health care services.

>

> But some veterans groups are wary of the proposal, which is estimated to

> cost $4.6 billion over the next 20 years.

>

> We realize there are some facilities that probably need to be closed down,

> but the VA needs to build new facilities in their place before they close

> them down,said Ronald Conley, national commander of the American Legion,

> which has 3 million members. Congress is going to have to appropriate the

> necessary money to build these VA hospitals.

>

> Conley is also concerned that the CARES proposal does not take into

> consideration current active duty military personnel, who may need

veterans

> health care facility services after the war on terrorism.

>

> That increase has to be taken into consideration,Conley said. How is the

VA

> going to handle that patient load?

>

> While drafting the proposal, VA officials met with veterans groups and

> other stakeholders in the communities affected by the proposed closings

and

> next week, the commission will begin holding a series of hearings across

> the country to get feedback on the proposal before sending a

recommendation

> to Principi.

>

> Weve seen examples of local involvement that have made a difference, and

we

> certainly hope that the whole process does listen to the local community

to

> make sure that whatever decisions are made truly do meet the community

need

> there and the veterans in the communities,said David Autry, deputy

national

> director of communications for Disabled American Veterans, a nonprofit

> organization with more than 1 million members. There is always some

concern

> that this may be a top-down kind of thing and I certainly think that is a

> wrong approach.

>

> Autry said some veterans are concerned that VA officials will just close

> facilities so that bean countersnumbers add up,rather than taking an

> expansive look at what services are needed in various communities.

>

> We want to make sure that whatever realignment and efficiencies the VA

> comes up with [do] enhance services,Autry said. Some of these facilities

> are the major source of income for the local economy and its a big deal.

It

> needs to be handled properly and were certainly willing and able to work

> with the VA.

>

> http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0803/080703t1.htm

>