Report rates valley’s VA care highly

Dan Kulin

Monday, July 21, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.

During his coast-to-coast travels to about 60 Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, American Legion National Commander Ronald Conley learned of veterans who had to wait up to two years for a routine checkup.

While the situation in Las Vegas was markedly better than in many cities, Conley said some problems did jump out during his November visit here.

The local VA was operating out of a "deplorable building," there were long waits for dental appointments and there was a need for more specialty doctors, he said.

Las Vegas VA officials say the situation here has changed dramatically since Conley's visit.

The VA has since moved out of the Addeliar D. Guy III Ambulatory Care Center, which Conley was so critical of, added staff and contracted with some private dentists and specialty doctors, such as orthopedists, urologists and cardiologists, to reduce wait times and provide access to specialty doctors.

Conley's trip to Las Vegas was part of a nine-month excursion to at least one VA facility in every state, intended to give Conley a first-hand picture of the state of VA health care.

Among the worst systems he came across was one in Togus, Maine, where veterans were waiting up to two years to see a doctor for a checkup, he said.

Conley compiled his findings into a report titled "A System Worth Saving: A Special Report on the Condition of VA Health Care in America," which was released last week.

John Hempel, director of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, said the changes in the local VA system were not done in response to Conley's criticisms, which Hempel said he hasn't seen. They were done because Hempel and other VA officials saw the need to improve service, he said.

The move out of the Guy clinic began in January after months of planning because VA officials said the Las Vegas building had structural problems. The building's owners have said any problems were fixed, but the VA moved out anyway.

The last of the VA services and staff were out of the building and into 10 temporary locations and the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital by the end of June. VA officials are reviewing potential locations for a new clinic, which could open in three years.

Conley said that while the move out of the Guy clinic was necessary and unavoidable, he is concerned some veterans will have a hard time figuring out exactly where to go now that services are spread over so many sites.

"There are going to be veterans falling through the cracks because they won't be able to access those 10 locations," Conley said.

Hempel said they have taken steps to minimize the confusion locally.

Patient representatives were hired for each of the temporary sights to help veterans navigate the new setup. Also, the VA added a shuttle bus service to ferry veterans among the temporary locations, Hempel said.

Air Force veteran Ray Collins, 65, of Las Vegas, said the local VA health care was easier to deal with before the move, but overall remains good.

"The move has made it a little tougher, but the service is still real good," Collins said.

Collins also said that years ago veterans sometimes had to wait three or four months to see a doctor, but now the wait is almost unnoticeable.

Hempel said that while they prepared for and dealt with the move, they also targeted wait times for dental and medical care.

Since October the local VA has added 62 full-time employees, including 10 doctors and 13 nurses. Two dentists still need to be hired, Hempel said.

Thanks in part to the additions, the wait to see an orthopedist is now 24 days, about 10 days for an eye doctor. Veterans can get same-day appointments for routine checkups, Hempel said.

He didn't have exact wait times from earlier, but said overall many of the waits have been been cut in half since a year ago.

The wait to see a dentist, which was noted in Conley's report as being about six months in November, is now about 23 days, Hempel said. Hempel said he could not confirm how long the waits were in November.

Conley said he'll return to Las Vegas within the next two months to again review the state of VA health care here.