TRENTON — Senator Jeff Van Drew, on March 31, renewed his call to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to approve a pilot program that would allow veterans in southern New Jersey to receive health care at local hospitals in their communities. The request, sent on March 31 in a letter to the VA Secretary, comes after the recent tragic death of a U.S. Navy veteran who set himself on fire outside of a Veterans Clinic in Northfield, New Jersey.
“While we do not know all of the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, media reports indicate that veterans seeking care at the facility can experience lengthy delays in receiving treatment. Reportedly, a patient could wait up to six months for an appointment to see a therapist. The clinic also appears to be grossly understaffed as one psychologist reports providing therapy to 200 veterans at any given time. To make matters worse, there are no Veterans Affairs hospitals in the region, so even if a veteran is able to schedule a timely appointment at the nearest VA hospital, he or she would have to travel hours to Philadelphia, Penn., northern New Jersey or Delaware to receive care,” wrote Senator Van Drew.
“Our military veterans deserve the best treatment we have to offer, and the inability of veterans in southern New Jersey to access timely, quality health care is unacceptable. I respectfully request that you immediately approve a pilot program in southern New Jersey that would allow veterans to receive health care without delay at local hospitals,” Van Drew added.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
