FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Asks VA Secretary about El Paso Outpatient Facility
Sent Letter to VA Secretary Yesterday to Call Attention to Internal Study
WASHINGTON -- Today U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), the Ranking Member on the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Committee, used a Senate subcommittee hearing to call attention to an internal U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report that lists the El Paso VA outpatient clinic among the worst in the country.
Yesterday Sen. Hutchison sent a letter to VA Secretary James Peake inquiring about the details of the study and seeking additional information about the VA’s plan for health care delivery in El Paso.
“Not only do we have a large number of veterans in El Paso, but we have a whole lot more who will be veterans in the future with the 30,000 increase that we’re going to have at Fort Bliss,” Sen. Hutchison said.
TEXT OF LETTER TO VA SECRETARY
April 9, 2008
The Honorable James Peake
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Mr. Secretary,
I am writing in regards to several concerns that have been raised regarding the quality of veteran health care in El Paso, Texas. As you are aware, an internal Department of Veterans Affairs study on performance standards and health care delivery ranked the El Paso outpatient clinic well below the national average, and I find this most disturbing.
I am very concerned about the veterans in El Paso experiencing unusually long waiting times for appointments, particularly specialty appointments, and having limited access to health care. Please provide me with the details of the Department’s study on health care delivery in El Paso. It is my understanding that the Department has implemented a management plan to correct these issues and ensure that the veterans in the El Paso area receive the highest quality of health care this nation can provide. I would like to know what the plan entails and if I can be helpful in any way.
Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
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