New Hampshire politicians have joined veterans to push for the VA Medical Center in Manchester to be a full service hospital.
They delivered that message to The Secretary of the Veteran’s Administration earlier this week.
They claim Granite State veterans are shortchanged when it comes to VA services.
But as New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman reports, veterans across the country are frustrated by what they see as a lack of access to healthcare.
Democrats like Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, Congressman Paul Hodes and Congressman Carol Shea Porter want a full service VA hospital in Manchester.
So do Republican Senator John Sununu and GOP congressional candidates Jeb Bradley, John Stephen, and Bob Clegg.
And they were advancing their cause when Veteran’s Administration Secretary Dr. James Peake was in New Hampshire.
But Peake said he didn’t think expansion of Manchester was in the cards.
You know right now at this point I don’t see trying to go back to a full service hospital. The issue is, what other services can we provide here that will meet the needs of our veterans.
Many veterans gripe that Manchester has no inpatient services.
And John Calo, a former commander of the New Hampshire VFW, says he thinks too many veterans have to go too far to get services.
For things like MRI’s, orthopedics, cardiac surgeries, they’re even travelling for chemotherapy, radiation therapies to Massachusetts. They have to catch a bus at the Manchester hospital and go all the way to Massachusetts to Roxbury or whatever facility they use in order to get their chemotherapy.
Calo’s colleagues in Washington D.C. say the complaints about travelling aren’t limited to New Hampshire’s veterans.
We hear this concern quite often.
That’s Micheal O’Rourke of VFW of the US.
He says there are states where veterans have to travel hundreds of miles more than a New Hampshire vet to get care.
Go west of the Mississippi, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado uh very limited facilities even there as far as veterans and full service facilities.
O’Rouke says a few of these large states have very limited facilities.
Wyoming has one small little 66 bed hospital. Its in the lower part of the state, maybe 60 miles away from Denver? But you go to the upper two thirds of the whole state and there’s nothing more than outpatient clinics.
VA officials in New Hampshire say about 350 people have to travel to Boston to get medical care.
The Manchester facility serves more than 20,000 veterans, and the Vermont VA hospital in White River Junction handles many more.
The VA also provides primary care and some specialties in community outreach centers, in Manchester, Berlin and Littleton.
There are plans to open another center in Keene.
Dr. Mark Levinson heads the Manchester Medical Center.
He says the VA aims to give veterans options that are closer to home.
Levinson says that philosophy has developed into a policy that doesn’t require an expansion of the Manchester facility.
Whatever we don’t provide on site or in our community based outreach clinics, we’re trying to expand our contracts that is purchase these services in the community…do some sort of case management of the veterans while they’re with the community provider and bring them back for their outpatient visits, home visits, long term care because we do…have a nursing home and rehab center at the VA.
The VA contracts with CMC hospital for many services not offered at the Manchester Medical Center.
Some veterans say they like the steps the VA has taken so far, but they don’t think the policy goes far enough.
Republican Presidential presumptive nominee John McCain agrees with them.
He proposes veterans should be able to get health care in any civilian facility with a VA health card.
Democratic presidential nominee Barak Obama does not support a universal VA health card.
Instead, Obama would open the VA to more veterans, by eliminating obstacles he claims were put in place by the Bush Administration.
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The numbers the VA is using aren't true: the number of people that are traveling to MA, VT, and ME are much higher than 350. Of course the VA is lying with that number, I know people have found the real numbers and they are much higher.
People are sent all the way to Bostons for things as simple as hearing aid adjustments, eye drops, as well as cancer treatment: can you imagine traveling 6 hours one way, waiting several hours for your appointment, and then traveling 6 hours back, all the while nauseaous from chemotherapy?
Are you willing to allow this to continue? Please raise your voice in newspapers and online and call your Senators and Congressmen and DEMAND a solution now to this issue!
The report uses the term "gripe", typically used to infer some type of whiney complaint?
And then he skips over the fact that Judd Gregg hasn't come out for any NH full service hospital, even though his state is the only one without one?
How about we do our job Mr. Darman; we appreciate that you covered it, but do you think NH veterans raising their voice about being the only state in the country without a full service veterans hospital is complaining? As usual, not enough background or facts...