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Understaffed Veterans Affairs Scrambles to Confront COVID-19

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Understaffed Veterans Affairs Scrambles to Confront COVID-19

The VA’s patients are disproportionately elderly and many have war-related health conditions that could make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

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3/18/20
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs the nation’s largest integrated health care system, is confronting the COVID-19 pandemic seriously understaffed, with only limited protocols in place to protect its millions of elderly patients. As of this morning, the Veterans Health Administration had five confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its patients, with another 25 presumed positive cases. On Saturday, the agency had its first fatality when a patient in their 70's died at the VA hospital in Portland, Oregon, due to complications from the new coronavirus. The VA’s patients are disproportionately elderly – roughly half of the 9 million veterans who use the VA’s network of more than 170 hospitals are at least 65 years old – and many have war-related health conditions that could make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Data published by the agency in February shows the VA is short 44,000 health care professionals, including 2,700 doctors and 11,300 nurses and nursing assistants. The VA is beset by “large staffing shortages, including physicians and registered nurses,” according to a September report from the Government Accountability Office. The VA’s inspector general has also said the agency’s emergency cache of medicine is in disarray and there are only limited numbers of coronavirus tests available for patients and staff, including those who care for vulnerable patients in government nursing homes.

Interviews with VA staff and veterans indicate concern about the VA’s efforts at hospitals across the country. A counselor at one of the agency’s largest hospitals said that he was concerned that neither patients nor staff were being medically tested for the virus – or even having their temperature taken. Although federal health guidelines caution against crowds, the counselor said, veterans have been congregating in large numbers in hallways, waiting rooms and the hospital’s cafeteria, turning those locations into contagion risks. Similar concerns have been raised by workers across the VA’s sprawling health care system, a coalition of five labor unions said in a joint statement this afternoon. Questions also remain about the VA’s readiness for a protracted crisis. In June, the agency’s assistant inspector general for audits and evaluations, Larry Reinkemeyer, told Congress that the Veterans Health Administration “did not effectively manage” a program to stockpile needed medicines put in place after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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Much like senior citizen facilities across the nation, VA hospitals are woefully unprepared and unequipped to deal with the looming burst of COVID-19 infections.
 
Why is it that Republicans never seem to care about the troops when they've have the power to actually do something for them?
 
Moonglow said:
Nobody is prepared.
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True, but who else has hospitals full of senior citizens with underlying issues?

I haven't heard anything from the Trump administration about upping VA professional staffing and making sure they have enough tests and respirators etc.
 
Rogue Valley said:
True, but who else has hospitals full of senior citizens with underlying issues?

I haven't heard anything from the Trump administration about upping VA professional staffing and making sure they have enough tests and respirators etc.
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That's because they've been trying to dismantle and privatize it instead.
 
Look at Trump and the Republican Senate GoP for not having the VA prepared.
 
Blue city hospitals are super prepared. That is why the Navy is sending a hospital ship to NYC .......so they can learn from the local expertise.
 
RabidAlpaca said:
Why is it that Republicans never seem to care about the troops when they've have the power to actually do something for them?
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Democrats control Virginia:doh:roll:

But just blame whatever party you dont like!
 
jamesbyoung said:
Look at Trump and the Republican Senate GoP for not having the VA prepared.
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Why not the Virginia Governor or the Congress which is both controlled by Democrats??
 
I can fault the Trump Administration for a lot of things, but underfunding Veterans Hospital & Medical Care isn't one of them. Under his Administration, VA spending outstrips any other President going back to Carter:

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I think he could do much more for Veterans Education, Training and Rehabilitation - maybe Housing too.... but I don't think it's fair to suggest that Hospital & Medical Care is vastly underfunded.
 
TypicalRussian said:
Why not the Virginia Governor or the Congress which is both controlled by Democrats??
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Non sequitur, TypicalRussian. The Congress can only pass a bill to have the GOP Senate and President block good legislation for our veterans.

But . . . I am impressed with Trump's finally turning to Rooseveltian protocol in times of national emergency and danger.
 
jamesbyoung said:
Non sequitur, TypicalRussian. The Congress can only pass a bill to have the GOP Senate and President block good legislation for our veterans.

But . . . I am impressed with Trump's finally turning to Rooseveltian protocol in times of national emergency and danger.
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It is not a non-sequitur, if you want to blame somebody, why does it always have to Be Trump? Why not Obama, why not Truman for gods sake
 
Cordelier said:
I can fault the Trump Administration for a lot of things, but underfunding Veterans Hospital & Medical Care isn't one of them. Under his Administration, VA spending outstrips any other President going back to Carter:

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I think he could do much more for Veterans Education, Training and Rehabilitation - maybe Housing too.... but I don't think it's fair to suggest that Hospital & Medical Care is vastly underfunded.
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only intelligent post on this thread, instead of blaming Trump for everything, we can analyze the data and analyze local and state policies and hospitals to come to a conclusion
 
TypicalRussian said:
It is not a non-sequitur, if you want to blame somebody, why does it always have to Be Trump? Why not Obama, why not Truman for gods sake
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Yes, TypicalRussian, it is a non sequitur. Trump is indeed blamable, and if we examine all the available data, he is the worst president in 150 years.

Neither Obama or Truman are presidents now.
 
jamesbyoung said:
Yes, TypicalRussian, it is a non sequitur. Trump is indeed blamable, and if we examine all the available data, he is the worst president in 150 years.

Neither Obama or Truman are presidents now.
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Trump is blamable, but why not blame other people too, why always Trump??

Trump is not the worst president in 150 years, that title goes to Johnson

Since we are playing the blame game-I blame napoleon for this
 
RabidAlpaca said:
Why is it that Republicans never seem to care about the troops when they've have the power to actually do something for them?
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Tommy

I WENT into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, " We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, go away " ;
But it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, wait outside ";
But it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! "
But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

~ Rudyard Kipling

The full poem here.
 
TypicalRussian said:
only intelligent post on this thread, instead of blaming Trump for everything, we can analyze the data and analyze local and state policies and hospitals to come to a conclusion
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As if you have any idea what that chart says or whether or not it's accurate, or relevent
 
Rogue Valley said:
The VA’s patients are disproportionately elderly and many have war-related health conditions that could make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Much like senior citizen facilities across the nation, VA hospitals are woefully unprepared and unequipped to deal with the looming burst of COVID-19 infections.
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One of the best arguments for a single payer universal healthcare system is the failures of the VA. Not that there aren't some excellent doctors, nurses and ancillary staff, but that the generally futile administration and allowance for failure is so accepted.
 
Moonglow said:
Nobody is prepared.
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The VA should be the first and foremost among our healthcare providers. After watching my father die, and my brother do the same in their hands, as well as observing their failures to treat many comrades in arms with all due diligence, I consciously chose to never allow myself to fall in their hands despite the entitlements I bled for. A decision which has saved my life more than once.

4 years ago, I watched as a good friend, a mentor, who survived the Korean war, was misdiagnosed, sent home because their "best" vein man couldn't find anything, and he was sent home in agony with every step. He refused to seek other help because he believed the VA had his back. He "earned their care." The next day he suffered a thrombotic stroke, and died 8 weeks later unnecessarily.

I remember finding my father, tied down, gagged, lying in his own filth, naked with no sheet or blanket, no different from many paraplegic patients in the Manhattan VA hospital. Three rancid meal trays sitting on a bedside server desk. An empty IV in his arm, and an overflowing urine receptacle bag attached to an unnecessary filthy catheter. He had been beaten, tied down and gagged after asking for water. There was and is no excuse.

With scores of fellow men and women in the service at that time, their relatives, and VFW members we cleaned that hospital, attended patients who had suffered needlessly, and got the entire staff fired, and replaced. Made the news for a day. The VA administration did their best to cover up their failure. That was 1970 and I was on furlough because my father had fallen ill. My father somewhat recovered, survived another ten years, got to meet his first grandchildren, before going back and dying in their incompetent hands. An investigation into his death, and the deaths of thirty some odd other patients during a six month period resulted in 8 doctors losing their licenses to practice, a new administration at the hospital and another VA cover up. I was told after the investigation, with proper care my father could easily have lived another decade. He believed in the VA and wanted the benefits he thought he deserved for fighting in two major wars. Getting home from each with Purple Hearts.

When I got home from SE Asia, a mess, as soon as I was released from military medical care and discharged, I sought private help and rejected VA care. They had already given me no hope. Had I not, I would have lived the remainder of my life in a wheel chair, and would likely be long dead. I was fortunate, benefitting from the efforts of a childhood friend working as an administrator at a major private hospital specializing in physical rehabilitation. Today, there are some bright spots, but they remain the exception.
 
RabidAlpaca said:
Why is it that Republicans never seem to care about the troops when they've have the power to actually do something for them?
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I haven't witness democrats doing anything, either.
 
jamesbyoung said:
Look at Trump and the Republican Senate GoP for not having the VA prepared.
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Look at every administration since the VA was formed. It is not merely the failure of one political party. Out of sight, out of mind.
 
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