Without a doubt, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is being watched closely in the wake of the Medical Center environment of care issues.
While VA is a stand-alone cabinet-level administration and Walter Reed is an arm of the DoD, VISN 9 facilities were also scrutinized.

I asked each medical center director in VISN 9 to create teams and complete a thorough evaluation and assessment of the environment of care our veterans see daily and to provide me with the results. There were no substantial issues within the halls and walls of our VA medical centers.

There were some opportunities for improvement, however, these were due to normal wear on buildings and furnishings that one would expect with the usage level we experience and the age of our buildings. Although the environment of care issue has generated much congressional and media attention in our area, we were able to publicly demonstrate what fine work goes on in VISN 9 medical centers every day.

I cannot stress enough how proud I am of the work being done in VISN 9 facilities and the general cleanliness and appearance of our halls and walls. Our desire is to make you, our veterans, feel safe and comfortable when you enter any of our buildings for care. I know from my visits to the medical centers that our staff takes pride in their work environment.

John Dandridge, Jr.
Network Director