Posted on 10/07/2006 11:44:36 AM PDT by lunarbicep
It's basically a clinic now and if you have an emergency you don't go there. They sent all the vets registered there a letter telling us this about six months ago.
Also, there is a fire station with paramedics right next to this VA a few hundred yards away.
Finally, this is a Gov't facility and they go home one minute after their shift ends.
I was in line at the pharmacy one time and my prescription was ready for pick up and the guy closed the window and said we're closed come back tomorrow then walked away. A few of us in line looked at each other and everyone said what the hell it's 5:01 and he just walked away. One guy drove all the way from Montana and went looking for someone to help him but I just went home because I lived 5 minutes away.
They don't read the results at the VA they send it to a local hospital or heart center that has heart doctors to read the results.
I had mine done at this VA center and it took a few weeks to get the results back.
A stress test was damned advanced in 1960, especially for a VA facility.
The failure for this man began at this point right here, not with the VA. His wife should have called an ambulance.
That doesn't make any sense. Stress tests are given when a cardic disorder is suspected. To not interpert a stress test immediately seems place some people at needless risk.
Ditto. I had to take the one hour trip to the hospital in Biloxi to have it done. They don't have the equipment at my out-patient here in town.
Beavers? Did you dream that stupid acronym up yourself? Is it an attempt to be insulting?
OIF I and OIF II. What are those?
Sure it does. The VA has an excellent maintenance plan and it is geared to age, certain ages get certain routine tests based on the recommendation for that age group. I get a stress-test every four years...the frequency may go up as I age.
A level IV trauma center is rare. Usually one per every 1-4 million people. IMHO VA hospitals should provide excellent care, but emergencies should go to the ER. Most VA centers can't keep an ER busy enough to come close to paying for it or keeping the staff well trained.
Even at a level IV trauma center, the ER physicians get called to code and intubate patients throughout the hospital (intubation during off hours) because they are the most skilled.
At many military hospitals (and most smaller civilian hospitals), the doctors in the ER are not Emergency Medicine Board Certified, but rather Family Pracs or others moonlighting. They are good with lacerations, but they simply don't see enough true emergencies to react accordingly.
Singleton arrived at the VA Hospital about 4:35 p.m. He ran into the urgent care center, yelled for help and returned to his car with a wheelchair. A security guard appeared outside and told Singleton the clinic had closed five minutes earlier, but 911 had been called.
Manley said the timing had nothing to do with the fact that Fuller wasn't helped by VA staff. "The patient arrived at our facility in respiratory distress," the hospital director said. "The most skilled people we had went out to the patient, but you have to have the professional equipment to do the work," and with the ambulance showing up quickly, the VA nurse and physician did not tend to Fuller.
I always thought VA hospitals (be they clinics, trauma centers, whatever) were for helping veterans, and from what I’ve read; this one’s failure is abhorrent.
What are you talking about?
Here is what I think he meant, Beavers were the dependents of the VA employees. Not all VA employees are vets but their families are probably allowed to use the facility.
OIF is Operation Iraqi freedom
VA hospitals/clinics are not free to all veterans. I'm a Vietnam Era veteran and I pay to go to the VA facilities. (I think it's based on your income/assets?)
What I am talking about is if veterans have to go to a civilian hospital ER, or a civilian Dr then they better be referred by the VA or make the right calls within the right time frame for approval (after the fact if it is an emergency) and the VA better consider it a true emergency or the Veteran can end up with the bill. Few areas are fully served by a full fledged VA facility so most Veterans have to depend on civilian medical care for some things- especially emergencies. Getting civilian care paid for by VA is a trick some times.
As I said above where we are we have no VA hospital less than 4 hours away. In an emergency we would go to the closest civilian hospital and they would treat my hubby. The VA may or may not pay the bill depending on the circumstances. In this state and many others an illegal can show up at any ER and get treated for even minor things that should be a regular Dr visit and they do not have to pay the bill.(not all states let illegals use the ER for reg. care but most do- all let illegals use ER for Emergency of course)
My husband is retired Army, and is also a priority one Veteran for VA care, he is eligible for treatment at any military hospital as well as any VA facility, we also have Tricare so my hubby can go to civilian facilities and get care and it will be paid by Tricare, or the VA or someone. Most Veterans are not priority 1 and what they are eligible for in different circumstances can be different. I was speaking in general terms because most Veterans are NOT eligible for everything my husband is and they do get to pay some Dr bills, hospital bills and other medical related expenses.
VA care is not the same for all Veterans. It is a complicated system.
"....we're closed come back tomorrow then walked away."
Same thing happened here, and cost this fellow his life.
Lets get real about this.....all he needed was some aminophyllin or another bronchodilator administered IV in a timely fashion.......the ONLY thing that stood in the way of him getting it was that he wasn't actually WITHIN the hospital building, and the "security" guard made sure he didn't enter. The apologists here are asking us to believe that this VA Hospital doesn't have a crash cart......gimme a break--this hospital has 48 inpatient beds, not counting the "resident" beds which doubles the total number. It is NOT some satellite clinic with limited service.
Take a look at a picture of it on the VA's site:
http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=126
but the Spokane VAMC's site is down....wonder when and why?
http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=126
The Motto of the VA lapsed into cynicism and hypocrisy long ago:
"To care for him
who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow, and his orphan"
The Origin of the VA Motto
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/vamotto.asp
true dat
I have recently begun going to the V.A... I will tell anybody here that I had avoided the V.A. for years. I heard all the horror stories of the Nam Vets.
However, I am here to tell you that I have been treated with respect, courtesy and timely treatment. Last week they presented me with hearing aids (11 years ago I was turned away saying I hadn't won the right medals). When I went to them a couple of months ago, the Dr. examining me said "that was then, this is now, I am scheduling you for a hearing exam. Semper Fi.
Thank you for posting this. Too bad the reporter didn't bother to find that out. That facility was one that was downgraded I guess. Now I understand why they couldn't/didn't treat this man. They probably didn't have anyone that knew much there to even help him in the parking lot while waiting for an amblulance since it was almost quitting time- and like you say they are serious about quitting time. In my experience the most highly trained people always seem to leave early too so anyone that was trained enough to do anything was probably already home.
This poor man may not have realized how sick he really was, it is a shame there was no one there to help him. May not have made any difference but who knows?
I mistakenly posted the VA link again when I meant to post the link to the SPOKANE VAMC website, which is down, as I mentioned above....this is Spokane's link:
http://www.spokane.med.va.gov/
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