Article Summary
The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with the Department of Defense to boost access to surgical care for about 37,000 Gulf Coast-area Veterans. The partnership entails providing same-day, outpatient surgical care at a new VA clinic in Naval Hospital Pensacola, a local DoD hospital, hence, local Veterans will no longer have to travel for their surgical procedures. This collaboration forms part of the VA’s strategy to modernize its healthcare system nationwide, and increase the amount of available space to meet Veteran demand for health care services.
Department of Veterans Affairs Partners with Department of Defense for Enhanced Surgical Care
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has formulated a crucial partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) to enhance the surgical care access for approximately 37,000 Gulf Coast Veterans. This new collaboration will allow Veterans to receive same-day, outpatient surgical care at the new VA clinic located in the Naval Hospital Pensacola, a local DoD hospital.
This initiative is part of VA’s commitment to provide timely and world-class health care. Previously, local Veterans had to travel to Biloxi VA Medical Center in Mississippi or rely on community providers for surgical procedures. Now, VA will simply schedule their surgeries at the new clinic, improving the patient experience.
Expanded Access to Health Care Services
The first local Veterans are already receiving care at the Naval Hospital Pensacola. The VA is planning to expand surgical care access, by adding services such as orthopedics, ear, nose, and throat, podiatry, ophthalmology, and urology at the DoD facility.
“This partnership will help VA provide more care, more quickly, to more Gulf Coast Veterans – as close to their homes as possible,” stated VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. It’s a cost-effective method for VA to increase Veteran access to care, while modernizing the Veteran health care experience.
Partnership Benefits Veterans
Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System Director, Stephanie Repasky, Psy.D., emphasized that partnering with the local DoD hospital increases Veteran access to VA care. Gulf Coast-area Veteran Lori Milkeris supported the partnership, stating that local care post-surgery is beneficial for recovery.
Modernizing VA Health Care Nationally
This partnership is a key part of VA’s comprehensive strategy to modernize the VA health care system nationwide. VA is working to expand the available space to meet Veteran demand for VA health care services and address challenges associated with aging facilities. Other recent partnerships include agreements with Stanford University to build a cutting-edge cancer and research center and Penn Medicine to expand health care access in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
For more information on VA health care for Veterans in the Gulf Coast area, visit VA Gulf Coast Health Care.
