Subscribe
Lieutenant General Rex McMillian, Commander, Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, visited the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Nov. 7, 2016, to meet the Marines here and talk with VA leaders about the care available to veterans.
McMillian also spoke with both active and reserve Marines who suffered traumatic injuries.
“These men and women need our help,” said McMillian. “They’ve given so much for their country; we need to give back to them.”
During a brief with the VA staff, McMillian voiced his concerns about issues affecting all service members, such as tobacco use and suicide.
Complications from tobacco use account for the majority of reasons for admittance to the VA. Smoking and chewing tobacco accounts for nearly 60 percent of in-patient treatment across the system.
“The easiest way to not be in here with these kinds of issues is to just stop smoking and chewing,” said Thomas J. Fitzgerald III, Interim Director at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System. “Often times the cancer is in the head or throat,” he continued. “The treatment for those cancers is so hard on the body when you have to remove portions of those areas. The best ways to not have these issues are to stop smoking and chewing.”
Another issue that the VA is addressing is educating veterans on their eligibility to receive care.
“A common misconception amongst veterans is that the VA can’t help,” said Fitzgerald. “That’s not the case. With multiple options for admittance, veterans are offered help for five years after they end their service.”
The VA wants its veterans to know that care is available by people who are passionate about keeping them healthy.
“This is my contribution to my country,” said Mike Feasby, assistant nurse manager at Veterans Affairs PAHCS. “It’s satisfying to do this. I’m not prior service, but I realize I can contribute just as much to my country as those guys suiting up.”
As it says on its website, the PAHCS is committed to assisting veterans in transition to civilian life by providing comprehensive healthcare that meets the individual’s needs. The VA has a multitude of services ranging from physical exams, traumatic brain injury care, comprehensive women’s health services and providing assistance with health care claims.
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2016 15:33 |
| Story ID: | 214577 |
| Location: | PALO ALTO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lieutenant General Rex McMillian visits VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California, by Cpl Dallas Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT