As the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to examine the policies and procedures in place that have seemingly failed thousands of veterans seeking healthcare, VA Medical Centers nationwide have been holding town meetings to hear from those directly affected by the system. The concerns raised at the VA Medical Center in Salem this week echoed those heard nationwide.
About one hundred veterans gathered in the VA’s Assembly hall, most sporting relics of their service and eager to share their stories. Following a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Salem VA Director Dr. Miguel LaPuz shared statistics indicating the Salem facility has fared well relative to national figures.
“Because of their efforts, Salem’s access to care has been consistently meeting or exceeding the national averages for primary care, specialty care, and mental health services.”
In the question and answer session that followed few heralded the Salem VA as effective, the allegations of misconduct and blatant disservice trumped the good. Concerns included racism and profanities uttered by medical staff, difficulty securing appointments, and general problems with the red tape. The hotbed issue of the night, however, was a recent change in access to certain pain medications.
“My husband was cut, without any notice, from 120 pills a month to 20 – no notification, no interaction, no physician appointment, no consult…we’re failing our veterans tremendously.”
The VA has been attempting to find other ways to address pain – such as offering acupuncture and physical therapy – as policies make it difficult for primary care doctors to prescribe opioids. Though the Salem VA has been comparatively scandal-free, administrators got an earful at this town hall meeting. Vets are just hoping they got the message—they just want the care that was promised.