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Ashley Monfort
On Tuesday, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) met with leadership at the McGuire VA Medical Center to talk about ongoing issues involving healthcare for veterans.
Media was not allowed inside the meeting, but Senator Warner spoke candidly about the issues he sees here. "There needs to be a culture change, there needs to be a systems change," he said.
There is money coming from legislation that allows $16-billion to go towards improving health care for veterans. Senator Warner says at McGuire the care is good but there is a need for more primary care doctors, more space for services, satellite clinics outside the Richmond Metro area and a better system for scheduling. "We also have, and this just makes my head explode," says Senator Warner. "We have 1980's software trying to schedule people in 2014. That's stupid."
McGuire has disputed a national audit claiming wait times at the hospital are one of the worst in the nation at 72 days. And according to McGuire spokesperson Darlene Edwards has not had a follow up or guidance from authorities on a national level.
Nevertheless, the senator says there is a lack of customer care at this VA medical center. "These men and women who defend our country deserve better than what they've got," he said.
Vietnam vet Lorenzo Allen says there have been improvements, but there is a lack of respect. "They're short tempered with some of the guys," he said while speaking about some of the receptionists. "I don't think they really know what we went through, what we have actually sacrificed."
Senator Warner says advocated for funds to make much needed changes to VA medical centers across the Commonwealth starts now.
Edwards say there have been changes and the medical center is always looking to improve its services and a list of things the hospital needs could become available very soon.