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Vamcs To Stay Open Longer

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From : email from VA OPA Press- VA:

"VA Medical Centers Extending Hours

Change Benefits New Combat Veterans, Older Vets

WASHINGTON (June 15, 2007) -- In order to provide more health care for

more veterans, especially mental health services, Secretary of Veterans

Affairs Jim Nicholson has directed the 153 medical centers of the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to keep their doors open longer.

"Illness doesn't follow a 9-to-5 schedule," Nicholson said. "I'm

directing our medical centers to provide extended hours to ensure we're

there for the veterans who have earned our care."

Although the extra hours apply to many hospital-based programs and

services, Nicholson said his latest decision was based upon a desire to

ensure VA's more than 9,000 mental health professionals are available

when veterans need them.

VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the country and

the nation's largest mental health program. About 5.5 million veterans

are expected to seek health care from VA's nationwide system this year,

accounting for about 800,000 hospitalizations and 60 million outpatient

visits.

In recent months, Nicholson has announced a number of initiatives to

improve mental health care for returning combat veterans, including the

hiring of suicide prevention coordinators for each medical center, 100

new adjustment counselors for VA's 207 Vet Centers, and 100 new medical

center employees to serve as advocates for the severely wounded.

VA's mental health experts will gather in Washington in July for a

four-day conference reassessing the Department's programs for veterans,

especially veterans from the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan."

GRADUATE ! Nov 2nd 2007 American Military University !

When thousands of Americans faced annihilation in the 1800s Chief

Osceola's response to his people, the Seminoles, was

simply "They(the US Army)have guns, but so do we."

Sameo to us -They (VA) have 38 CFR ,38 USC, and M21-1- but so do we.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

What a bunch of baloney

Veterans deserve real choice for their health care.

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NOT serving the health care needs of veterans is a 24 hour a day job.

sledge

Those that need help the most are the ones least likely to receive help from the VA.

It's up to us to help each other.

sledge twkelly@hotmail.com

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