The Veterans Summit sponsored by Congressman Solomon Ortiz was held of June 19, 2010 in Brownsville, TX. It was mostly the same thing that occurs in all his summits. One important note that some of the veterans that attended was that Congressman Ortiz was very proud of the fact that he had re-submitted his bill to create a VA hospital for the Valley.
What he forgot to mention is that it is stuck in a sub-committee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. It has not moved since it was filed. It does not appear to be going anywhere. Ortiz has submitted a similar bill all his time in office, but it never gets out of committee. It just stays there and gathers dust.
He should have told the veterans attending of what he is going to do to make the VA hospital for the valley a reality. If he can't do it, he should be square with us and tell it like it is. There is no shame in telling the truth. The shame lies there in when you try to make something out of something that is not there. His bill is there, but is it really.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
How close are south Texas veterans to a VA hospital?
Veterans in south Texas state that they are getting closer to the end of the tunnel in their quest for a Veterans Affairs hospital for the area. Veterans have been asking for a VA hospital in order to avoid having to travel up to 250 miles north to San Antonio for acute medical care. These trips are dangerous, expensive and a heavy burden on familial relationships. Many veterans require that someone drive them to where the medical care is available. If the veteran is admitted, his loved one is not afforded room and board while he undergoes surgery and/or recuperates from such. All in all veterans identify a myriad of problems with this arrangement. Many World War II and Korean War veterans are burden not only by their service connected injuries but also due to their age. The toll that the body has taken on them from all these trips is inmeasureable.
Veterans leaders have tried many approaches in order to reach their goals. All have failed and its back to the drawing board. Then after a lull in efforts, new veteran leaders pick up the baton and move the cause forward again. It is getting to be a battle of wits. Veterans identify the Veterans Affairs as their number one enemy. They feel that the VA is there to help veterans, not to provide obstacles and barriers to good health care. They feel that the VA hospital is long overdue.
Veterans pushed for a study to determine if there was a need for a VA hospital to serve the over 100,000 veterans in south Texas. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison pushed for the study and was successful in obtaining funds for the study. The study was undertaken by the group Booz Allen Hamilton . Many veterans feel that the wrong numbers were used in determing the need. Veterans feel that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization did a mediocre study just to justify the over $800,000.00 grant award. Today, the study is being challenged and it seems that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization was wrong in the needs and cost estimates. (Veterans have learned that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization is facing controversy in other areas also.)
The study determined that it would be more feasible to contract out medical care to private contractors in the area. They concluded that there was not a need for a VA hospital in the area. This plan was implemented and began in Arpil 2009. Since then, the VA has learned that it is costing far too much. The proyected numbers were terribly underestimated and now its costing the VA millions of dollars more per/month. And the costs seem to be rising. Veterans feel that by the end of the 5 year contract the VA will fork many millions of dollars over the proposed budget. In the meantime, Veterans are still going to San Antonio. The two private medical contractors are not getting paid regularly and they are owed millions. Thus, causing an economical crunch to those hospitals and affecting their services to the general public. All in all, it seems to be that the veterans were right in their call for a full fledged hospital for the area.
A new expanions will come into existence in January 2011 in Harlingen, TX. The Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic (VAOPC) is being expanded into an ambulatory and outpatient surgical center. The new services to be provided are necessary and will improve present medical services, but it will still fall short of the need. With this in mind, veterans are now proposing to the VA that the VAOPC be expanded still further and that emergency and inpatient care be provided and making it in essence a full hospital.
Veterans have found solid backing from their local Congressional delegates and also from their local Texas delegation. Their goal is to bring Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, to south Texas to meet with veterans and local VA officials. Letters have been send jointly by the two US Senators, the three local Congressmen, the TX State Lt. Governor and two local state senators and all the local state representatives to Sec. Shinseki. The letters are similar in their requests. And that is, to come to Texas and meet with veteans and to expand the services at the VAOPC to include emergency and inpatient health care. Senator John Cornyn calls it a "commons sense approach". The state of Texas recently passed legislation to authorize the state to provide monies and resources in the development and maintenance of veterans hospitals in the state. With this new resource and a powerful at that, the veterans hope to convince Sec. Shinseki to partner with the State of Texas so that the state and national governments can work together to solve the issue.
Veterans are meeting and formulating strategy to insure that their strike force is directed at the right target with enough information, support and energies to make this new effort a success.
Veterans leaders have tried many approaches in order to reach their goals. All have failed and its back to the drawing board. Then after a lull in efforts, new veteran leaders pick up the baton and move the cause forward again. It is getting to be a battle of wits. Veterans identify the Veterans Affairs as their number one enemy. They feel that the VA is there to help veterans, not to provide obstacles and barriers to good health care. They feel that the VA hospital is long overdue.
Veterans pushed for a study to determine if there was a need for a VA hospital to serve the over 100,000 veterans in south Texas. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison pushed for the study and was successful in obtaining funds for the study. The study was undertaken by the group Booz Allen Hamilton . Many veterans feel that the wrong numbers were used in determing the need. Veterans feel that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization did a mediocre study just to justify the over $800,000.00 grant award. Today, the study is being challenged and it seems that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization was wrong in the needs and cost estimates. (Veterans have learned that the Booz Allen Hamilton organization is facing controversy in other areas also.)
The study determined that it would be more feasible to contract out medical care to private contractors in the area. They concluded that there was not a need for a VA hospital in the area. This plan was implemented and began in Arpil 2009. Since then, the VA has learned that it is costing far too much. The proyected numbers were terribly underestimated and now its costing the VA millions of dollars more per/month. And the costs seem to be rising. Veterans feel that by the end of the 5 year contract the VA will fork many millions of dollars over the proposed budget. In the meantime, Veterans are still going to San Antonio. The two private medical contractors are not getting paid regularly and they are owed millions. Thus, causing an economical crunch to those hospitals and affecting their services to the general public. All in all, it seems to be that the veterans were right in their call for a full fledged hospital for the area.
A new expanions will come into existence in January 2011 in Harlingen, TX. The Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic (VAOPC) is being expanded into an ambulatory and outpatient surgical center. The new services to be provided are necessary and will improve present medical services, but it will still fall short of the need. With this in mind, veterans are now proposing to the VA that the VAOPC be expanded still further and that emergency and inpatient care be provided and making it in essence a full hospital.
Veterans have found solid backing from their local Congressional delegates and also from their local Texas delegation. Their goal is to bring Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, to south Texas to meet with veterans and local VA officials. Letters have been send jointly by the two US Senators, the three local Congressmen, the TX State Lt. Governor and two local state senators and all the local state representatives to Sec. Shinseki. The letters are similar in their requests. And that is, to come to Texas and meet with veteans and to expand the services at the VAOPC to include emergency and inpatient health care. Senator John Cornyn calls it a "commons sense approach". The state of Texas recently passed legislation to authorize the state to provide monies and resources in the development and maintenance of veterans hospitals in the state. With this new resource and a powerful at that, the veterans hope to convince Sec. Shinseki to partner with the State of Texas so that the state and national governments can work together to solve the issue.
Veterans are meeting and formulating strategy to insure that their strike force is directed at the right target with enough information, support and energies to make this new effort a success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)