The panel covered issues from timely care to suicide prevention
MONTICELLO – “Bold and big action” is the plan for bringing some sweeping improvements to veteran healthcare in the Hudson Valley. That was the message delivered to about 75 veterans at the Sullivan County Government Center Thursday afternoon.
Medical Center Associate Director Dawn Schaal said what’s happening is driven by veterans themselves.
“We’re really looking at new ways that we can do things differently and better for our veterans, related to the timeliness of care that we get, the ease of care that you get, the quality of care that you get and the customer service that you get.”
Schaal said there are five points to the action plan: greater choice; modernizing the VA system, efficiency, improving timeliness and the top priority – suicide prevention.
A later speaker noted there are on average about 20 veteran suicides daily, nationwide. Only about one quarter of them involve veterans enrolled in VA healthcare.
Schaal said one big improvement in timeliness, including same-day availability, depending on urgency. That could be at Castle Point or Montrose, or at any of the nine community outpatient facilities. Normal times for new patients to get a general basic care appointment have improved slightly in the past couple of years, now down to just under eight days for primary care and just under 13 days for mental health.
Also changing are attitudes and focus, as explained by Facilities Whole Health Coordinator Adam Zananski.
“What is changing is it’s changing the conversation of how healthcare is provided, Zananski said. “So, instead of saying ‘what’s the matter with you’, now the question is ‘what matters to you?’.”
The session, scheduled to last an hour, went closer to two hours. Many of the questions posed by veterans had to do with comfort and accessibility issues encountered in visiting the two hospitals and the outpatient offices.
Both hospitals are undergoing major physical upgrades, including larger urgent care space at Castle Point, and enhanced long-term veteran residential quarters at Montrose. Also at Montrose, the near-Olympic-size pool, dormant for years, should be full of water and open for swimming by late June.
