Freeholders Seek Vets’ Treatments Closer than VA’s Wilmington Center

COURT HOUSE — The freeholders’ aim in passing a resolution supporting a pilot program for veterans at Shore Memorial Hospital for dialysis and radiation was to help those sick and frail, for whom a trip to Wilmington, Del. adds torment to their affliction.
That Somers Point hospital has “interest in the development” of a pilot program to offer both treatments to veterans was important to freeholders who know Cape May County has many veterans.
Many of those veterans, however, are not enrolled in the Veterans Administration. Without them being counted by the VA, there is no way to accurately gauge how many veterans locally are in need of dialysis or radiation treatments.
A VA outpatient clinic at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, is a primary care facility. There, after filling out forms available at the Cape May County Veterans’ Bureau office in the Social Services Building, Rio Grande, veterans are screened and examined.
Those in need of treatment are referred where the best service is available. In most cases, that would likely be in the Wilmington VA Medical Center or, possibly, in Philadelphia.
Shortly after passage of the freeholders’ resolution, it became known that Eric K. Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs, had written a letter to Sen. Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) that detailed reasons for a decision not to move forward with the request.
Regarding dialysis treatment, he wrote, “The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed national pricing agreements, called Basic Ordering Agreements with the major dialysis providers nationwide. These agreements provide cost effective dialysis care for veterans close to their homes.
“If there are veterans requiring dialysis care that are not near one of these centers, the Wilmington VAMC could negotiate with Shore Memorial Hospital and authorize care there on a case by case basis.”
Similarly, the radiation treatment for veterans, Shinseki wrote, “It is VA’s policy to provide health care within our VA facilities whenever possible and to consider the use of VA facilities as the preferable location of service. We believe this provides veterans with the most comprehensive health care services.
“Currently, there are readily available radiation treatment services at the Philadelphia VAMC. Veterans receiving treatment are offered free housing during their treatments. The Wilmington VAMC has also recently contracted with a hotel in close proximity to the Philadelphia VAMC as another lodging option for veterans,” he wrote.
A 26-passenger shuttle bus provides transportation between the Southern New Jersey Community based Outpatient Clinics and the Wilmington VAMC, he continued.
In the freeholders’ resolution, mention was made of that shuttle, but noted “VA-sponsored buses that shuttle veterans from South Jersey to Wilmington are not equipped with bathroom facilities and the challenges are more than mere inconveniences for veterans with special health complications.”
Shinseki addressed that by writing, “A decision not to include a rest room on the shuttle bus was made to ensure sufficient space is available to meet the demand for transportation. Rest room facilities are available at each stop along the scheduled route. However, an additional stop was added enroute to allow for rest room breaks and the driver has been instructed to stop whenever a need for rest room access is communicated.”
“Allowing such a pilot program at Shore Memorial Hospital would greatly enhance the VA’s ability to offer healthcare to local South Jersey residents, and such a program could also serve as a model for future nationwide programs allowing veterans to seek treatment at a non-VA facility,” the resolution adds.
VA Spokesman Charles Quesenberry, in a telephone interview Fri., Feb. 25, told the Herald “This may sound bureaucratic, but veterans have many options. We provide a wide range of choices.” He cited the agreements six with dialysis centers within 30 miles of Cape May County.
The Wilmington VA Medical Center has six dialysis beds, “and is getting ready to go to 10 beds,” but “If the veteran is too ill to travel, that service will be provided in the community, if they are eligible.”
Quesenberry said VA social workers “scour resources” in a veteran’s home area to find one that would provide the service equal to the service available at a VA facility.
The Wilmington center does not have radiation treatment, but the one in Philadelphia has one, he said.
The first concern of VA, he said, is that the provider of service to any veteran is the same quality care “we (VA) provide.” He said that means doing accreditation checks, ensuring board certification, etc.
“We do not send veterans to less than top quality than we do,” Quesenberry said.
He said a member of LoBiondo’s staff recently toured the Wilmington center, and was impressed with the features that serve veterans.
For those requiring cancer treatment, he said the VA has contracted with Embassy Suites, should a veteran require treatment. Along with housing, meals will be provided for the veteran.
“We do better than everybody,” said Quesenberry.
Part of VA’s ongoing concern, he said, was that “There may be 100 veterans in need of care, but 80 are not enrolled. We cannot do anything for them. They have to come to the VA, get enrolled, then treatment can be provided,” he said.
Quesenberry said he and Charles Dorman, medical center director, could be available to meeting with veterans in Cape May County at a round-table session to update them on services available, he said.
Such a meeting takes place monthly in Dover, Del., he said.
“We have nothing to hide,” said Quesenberry. “We believe in what we are doing.”
Freeholder Gerald Thornton, a veteran, who oversees the county’s Health and Human Services, said he was not critical of the VA or the services provided at the VA medical centers.
“I am just concerned about the long distance to the centers,” said Thornton.
“I know they try to meet the needs of veterans as best they can,” he added.
“I did not know they were that sensitive to what was going on,” he said, when apprised of the services available to veterans by VA.
“I really feel they are making an effort to meet the needs of the residents at a distance. It would be a lot easier if they have a facility, contracted with our hospital (Cape Regional Medical Center) or Shore Memorial Hospital. It would probably be less costly. I commend them for their efforts to address this,” said Thornton.
“Still, this does not solve the problem. There are around 14,000 veterans (in this county) and there will be more and more veterans. There will be more demand on their service,” he said.
Thornton offered an idea for veterans, possibly an ID card, similar to Medicare, which would enable a veteran to get treatment at any hospital.
Thornton said he would be anxious to gather veterans together to meet with Dorman, as Quesenberry stated.
Once again, Thornton urged every veteran to enroll in the VA health care system so that true number of those in need of care could be proven to the federal government.
(Disclosure: The author, a Navy veteran, is enrolled in the VA health system.)
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com