WASHINGTON (AP) – Veterans advocate Susan Campbell minces no words when it comes to proposals by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for consolidating treatment services at its four Boston-area medical centers.
Such moves could mean longer commutes and other hardships for veterans and their families, she warns.
“I just don’t think it’s right to turn our backs on the most needy of people, the veterans who served for their country and sacrificed so much,” says Campbell, executive director of Habitat P.L.U.S. in Lynn, which provides housing and support to veterans with psychiatric disabilities. “Someone who’s already lost a leg, let’s not make them feel bad that they need this or that treatment.”
Campbell has plenty of company.
Massachusetts members of Congress and veterans supporters across the state are pressing their four-year fight to convince the VA to scrap plans to shift some services at its hospitals in Bedford, Brockton, and Boston’s West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain sections.
The VA, meanwhile, says the moves would improve care and pave the way for upgrades at the facilities.
The four medical centers treated more than 75,000 patients and handled more than 759,000 outpatient visits in fiscal year 2005, according to information on their Web sites.
The lawmakers are pushing for a meeting with the VA’s new acting secretary, Gordon Mansfield, as he decides the fate of the four facilities.
“There’s a desire, obviously, on their part to save some money, which isn’t evil,” said Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass. “But it can’t be the driving force. The driving force has to be what’s the best care alternative for veterans.”
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, too, takes a hard line against reducing health care options for the state’s veterans.
“Current facilities need updating, but consolidating services is not the answer,” he said in a statement.
The VA is exploring the possibility of leasing out and redeveloping some unused properties to help pay for better veterans care.
“We have to look for opportunities to pull things together,” said Jay Halpern, a special assistant to Mansfield. “This, we think, is a step forward.”
After four years of meetings, studies and public debate, the VA is weighing several options.
The latest VA proposal was announced last month. It calls for moving some inpatient care from Bedford to Brockton while possibly redeveloping part of the Bedford campus.
Bedford’s inpatient care includes 21 acute psychiatric care beds, 92 mental health beds and 50 substance abuse treatment beds, according to VA figures. With more than 500 beds overall, Bedford boasts one of the nation’s premier Alzheimer’s disease treatment centers. Under the latest proposal, the Alzheimer’s unit would remain at Bedford along with nursing home and outpatient services.
The VA is also considering plans to merge the services at Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury into a single facility
Rep. Stephen Lynch’s district includes the West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain hospitals.
“We continue to be disappointed by the VA’s push to consolidate our VA facilities and cut back on services for our veterans,” said Lynch, D-Mass.
Local veterans advocates say they oppose VA consolidations.
“On paper it seems like it would work, but they’re not factoring in the human element,” said Ted Mulvehill, director of veterans’ services in Norwood.
Mulvehill said about 120 psychiatric patients were moved from Jamaica Plain to the VA’s Brockton facility a few years ago. It was difficult for many families who rely on public transportation to visit their loved ones, he said.
“They didn’t factor in the families of these guys,” said Mulvehill. “How are they gonna get access to Brockton if they’re inner city folks? … If the families aren’t there to help them, all of a sudden the isolation sets in and that does not help.”
Mulvehill praised the VA for performing well with limited resources. The real problem, he said, is that Congress fails to provide enough money for the VA.
“I find it unconscionable and irresponsible that they refuse to fund a program that takes care of returning veterans when they’re sending kids off to war in the numbers that they are,” said Mulvehill.
The VA launched its national restructuring program in 2003. A previous proposal to close all four Boston hospitals and create a single medical center for the metropolitan area was rejected by the VA in July 2006 after the Massachusetts congressional delegation’s strong opposition.
AP-ES-10-07-07 1333EDT
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