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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2
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Summer 2006
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Caring for a New Generation
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Fast Facts
In 2005, VA spent $31.5 billion on
health care for more than 5.3 million
patients.
From 2001 to 2005, the number of
patients treated at VA health care facilities
increased by more than 22 percent.
VA currently sees more veterans and
family members than at any other time
in its 75-year history.
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Are you enrolled?
To receive VA health care benefits,
most veterans must enroll. People
who are exempt from enrolling include
veterans with a service-connected disability
of 50 percent or more, veterans
who were discharged from the military
within one year but have not yet been
rated for a VA disability benefit and veterans
seeking care for only a service-connected
disability.
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Young veterans are impressed with VA health care
Before Thomas Waterman
came to a VA outpatient
clinic, his perception of VA
health care wasn’t the greatest. So
when his caseworker suggested
he get his knee treated at VA
Rochester Outpatient Clinic, he
wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“I pictured it full of World
War II vets, waiting for hours in
metal folding chairs. But it wasn’t
at all what I expected,” the
26-year-old Spencerport, N.Y.,
resident said. “I was really impressed
with the décor and the
service. I’m always in and out
quickly, and the doctors really
know their stuff.”
And they should. VA facilities are
affiliated with 107 medical schools,
55 dental schools and more than
1,200 other schools across the
country. More than half of the
physicians practicing in the United
States received professional training
in the VA health care system.
VA physicians are also at the
forefront of medical research and
played key roles in the development
of pacemakers, computed tomography
scans and artificial limbs,
including the “Seattle Foot,” which
allows people with amputations to
run and jump. VA clinical trials
helped to establish effective treatments
for tuberculosis, schizophrenia
and high blood pressure. As a
result, VA patients often benefit
from medical breakthroughs before
people in the private sector.
Such innovation served Waterman
well, also. “I’d seen private
doctors who had no idea what
was wrong with my knee,” he says.
“The VA knew what they were
doing. The doctor diagnosed my
problem the right way, right away.”
He’s so pleased with his treatment
at VA that he’s telling all his
friends. “All my experiences at the
VA have been really good,” says
Waterman, who served with the
Army National Guard in Baghdad,
Iraq. “The nurses are friendly, the
doctors are nice and the staff at the
center is very helpful.”
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Summer 2006
VA Health Care, Leading the Way |
Caring for a New Generation |
Stroke Alert
A Diet to Protect Your Brain |
Bye-Bye Back Pain |
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Health Fraud Alert! |
VA News and Updates |
Wellness Programs
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| Reviewed/Updated Date: January 16, 2007 |
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