So the PHX VA held a Town Hall meeting this last Thursday. The first thing is if you didn’t know. We now have a new permanent Director. Her name is Deborah Amdur (more info). The first thing I can tell you is there is a genuine feeling that she cares….whether that is true or not we will have to wait and see. But the best part that I noticed was the different style of leadership she showed compared to bast directors. She spent time with each case, making sure she understood the issue, spoke to the Veterans specifically about there issues and directed them to the correct help. From what I understand the follow up to the issues were almost immediate the next day. I did receive a phone call on Friday stating that the in patient labs will start doing my test so I can access that lab 24 hrs a day.
Though through the media the appointment for a permanent director is being praised, all I have to say is she has her work cut out for her. Veterans here in PHX are done playing the games and are no longer taking the abuse and the uncaring environment that the PHX VA has created.
She did lay out goals for the VA hospital which was refreshing, but again, something we will have to wait and see what happens. One goal that I brought up during the meeting was that personalize care needs to be a priority, because there is no personalized health care at the VA. They too often bunch your condition or issues in with a group of people which is unfair to the Veteran. As with my condition, I’m 24 years old, but I am grouped in with the 65+ Veterans because my condition is usually something that senior experience. Because of that I am issued medicine that isn’t for prolonged use, especially at 34. So personalized Health Care is a must to make sure the PHX VA gets it right.
Its still a long road to get Veterans the Health Care they deserve. Over the next few years the increase of Veterans will continue, even though there is a study that shows that there is a decline of Veterans because the older Veterans are growing old, but that’s not an excuse to continue the decline the care of Veterans.
Lets keep our prayers for this new director. Hopefully she can turn around parts of the issues and doesn’t follow suit with every other director that has worked at the PHX VA.