Today, Congressman Owens sent a letter to Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee regarding potential legislation to grant veterans access to non-VA healthcare facilities (fxn.ws/1lPubBI). In the letter, Owens recommends that such legislation also consider the distance veterans have to travel for routine procedures. “In many rural communities, veterans must drive several hours each way to receive routine care in an urban hospital that can be easily and more cost-effectively managed by existing rural hospitals,” said Owens. “Between travel and wait times, a veteran can easily spend twelve to fourteen hours seeking routine care such as an MRI, colonoscopy or lab work. This is a strikingly inefficient use of our healthcare system.” Veterans in the northernmost regions of New York State sometimes often face unreasonable burdens to access routine services. Veterans in Champlain, NY needing specialized medical care can be forced to travel more than 180 miles to reach the nearest VA hospital in Albany. A Veteran in Massena, NY faces a drive of more than 160 miles to receive care at the Syracuse VA Hospital. Some communities in the Midwestern U.S. are more than 350 miles from the nearest VA hospital. “In light of this situation, and the broader issue of inexcusable wait times at VA facilities, I respectfully request that any legislative fix you pursue provides rural veterans the option to receive care at the nearest hospital to his or her home, when that care is unavailable at a local VA clinic.” Congressman Owens has been exploring this concept with hospital CEOs in the 21st Congressional District for several years after meeting with local veterans about their access to care. Congressman Owens’ letter to the House Veterans Affairs Committee follows his call in early May (1.usa.gov/1tLrzeh) that the VA expand veterans’ access to community hospitals.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 20:12:27 +0000
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