VA chief visits joint base clinic, discusses progress

  • Published
  • By Bill Addison
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The Secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, along with Rep. Jon Runyan, visited the Community Based Outpatient Clinic April 13 here.

Shinseki, the former Army Chief of Staff, came to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to tour the facility and discuss VA's progress in one of the department's top priorities - expanding access to VA care and service.

To that end, the clinic staff showcased their Telehealth system, a videoconferencing-based program that links physicians in Philadelphia with patients here. The program is currently installed at 150 VA medical centers and 782 clinics and was designed to reduce the need for patients to travel to VA's regional medical centers for routine consultations according to VA.

"Obviously we want to make the care as good as it is in person," said Dr. Jayne Wilkinson to Shinseki over the Telehealth system. Wilkinson, a neurologist who leads a VA center for Parkinson's disease, coordinates the Telehealth project in Philadelphia.

The system has been in place at the clinic here since last year and there are plans to expand the programs they cover. Wilkinson said medical professionals at VA are still in discussions to determine clear guidelines as to the right level of care the systems can provide.

Shinseki said the program is an important example of how technology is being used to increase access to patient care.

"Veterans can see their doctor without having to get in a vehicle and drive to Philadelphia," he said. "It could be the future of healthcare delivery."

While Shinseki's focus for the visit was to talk about expanding healthcare access, he also touched on another priority within his department - ending homelessness among veterans. Shinseki said he's not one to speak in absolutes, but is adamant that no veteran should be without a home. He has even set a target to get all veterans off the streets by 2015.

He said the problem of veteran homelessness can't focus solely on rescuing currently homeless veterans, but must also look toward preventing future homelessness among veterans as well. Shinseki said the department helped prevent homelessness in 83 percent of the veterans who defaulted on their home loans last year.

Shinseki said on-site visits like this one are critical to helping him understand how his department can better serve its growing veteran populations.

"In Washington, our job is to understand the priorities and provide the resources," he said. "But in order to understand how to apply those resources, we have to come out here to see. I don't believe in using a 1,000 mile screwdriver to try to fix a problem."