civilian hospitals aren't: keeping track of patients and their records, and it also give S&W a place where their interns will get experience with all sorts of medical situations they wouldn't get so much experience with in a civilian hospital.
When I got out of the Navy I went to work at Brecksville VA Hospital in Ohio. It was a snake pit. I told my wife to not let me end up in a VA hospital.
Forty years later, I lost my insurance and I had to go to VA. What a difference. I love VA and they've been helping me fight two cancers. I get promt appointments, my waits are minimal. EVERYONE there from the AF Brig General who is my urologist and surgeon to the guy sweeping the floors is polite and caring. I get returns on my phone calls within a day or two and its as likely that its the doctor as it is the PA.
I have bladder cancer and have had four surgeries as well as a long course of BCG, and in the middle of it had a colon cancer removed, I no longer have a colon - I have a semi colon. The process was the most unpleasant experience I've ever been through. Thank G*d I was in a VA hospital.
It was life changing. Its the first time I've ever experienced such a rainbow of caring people from such a wide variety of cultures, races, ethnic backgrounds, ages, economic backgrounds. And they all made me feel like I was their main concern. It was wonderful and showed me what this nation could be like. Who'd have thunk: The VA as an instrument of social change for good.
I think that a lot of critics of VA are trying to advocate for us vets. But I fear they don't have a complete picture of what good the VA does.
I know that there are VA facilities that are not up to snuff - Phoenix comes to mind - but the reason for a lot of the problems is Congress and interests who'd like to privatize VA for their own finacial reasons. Congress needs to quit playing political football with VA and I know for a fact most vets are darn happy with VA and positively, absolutely do not want VA privatized.
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