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 May 2007 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: WNY Caregiver The Best Possible for Vets
The Buffalo facility opened in 1950 and provides medical, surgical, mental health and long-term care services through a full range of inpatient and outpatient programs. It is the main referral center for cardiac surgery, cardiology and comprehensive cancer care for Central and Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania. The Batavia facility is situated on nearly 50 acres in Genesee County’s largest city. Constructed in 1933, it provides geriatric and rehabilitation medicine services, residential care post-traumatic stress disorder unit for men and a new six-bed post-traumatic stress disorder residential unit for women and outpatient services in a renovated primary care clinic. VA WNY Healthcare System is affiliated with the University at Buffalo and other local and nationwide colleges and 77 universities and professional schools in the fields of audiology, dentistry, dietetics, health care administration, medicine, nursing, nurse anesthesia, occupational and physical therapy, pharmacy, psychology, speech pathology and social work.
In May 2006, Fortune magazine wrote “The seamless integration of science, information and compassion is the dream of modern health care. Scenes like these are not fantasies, however, but daily realities at the Veterans Health Administration.” Business Week, in July 2006 stated that “VA hospitals and clinics have been ranked best-in-class by a number of independent groups on a broad range of measures.” In December 2006, CBS Evening News said “In studies, including one by Harvard, and in six straight years of patient satisfaction surveys, VA earned the highest health care quality rating in the country. It’s also the least expensive…Today’s VA looks like the future.” Currently, women comprise around 8% of the total veteran population, but this figure is rising as more women opt for service in the military. VA offers comprehensive health care services for women, including primary and behavioral health care, education, bone densitometry, mammography, and transitional/respite care. Recently discharged veterans have two years from date of discharge to receive free health care for any condition that may be related to combat service. After the two years, a co-payment status will depend on whether the illness or injury is found to be service-connected. A Veterans Service Center was designed to assist veterans in enrolling in the VA system and to help determine the level of benefits to which a veterans in entitled. Questions regarding eligibility and VA Healthcare Benefits may be answered by calling the toll-free Veterans Service Center Call Center at 1-888-823-9656, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., an eligibility expert will be on hand to answer questions directly. back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
