I transcribe numerous conferences and meetings pertaining to health
care.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard health care
professionals, subject-matter experts in the field, give praise to the
Department of Veterans Affairs for their state-of-the-art technology
and quality medical care. These are doctors, nurses, clinicians, et
cetera, at these meetings.

Maybe here in D.C., we live under a rock, but my brother gets
EXCELLENT care from the VAMC on Irving Street in D.C. He is a happy
camper. When he went to Medford, Oregon, he also received EXELLENT
care from the VAMC. My brother is 100-percent service-connected, and
the VA has kept him alive and well. He would not be here today if it
were not for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

God bless the Department of Veterans Affairs and all the health care
workers who continue to serve the veterans.

Jennie
Washington, D.C.

On Mar 12, 7:00 pm, Marsha <m...@xeb.net> wrote:



RaeMorrill wrote:
someone we know is fighting for these soldiers. Agree with the war or
not, I know all of us are concerned about the welfare of those who have
put their lives on the line.

What's even sadder is that a lot of VA Hospitals have
been the joke of the medical field for years. Every
surgeon we've had over the past 16 years had to put in
some time at one and they all said the same thing -
substandard facilities and too much red tape. I just
have to wonder why it's out in the open all of a sudden.

Marsha/Ohio- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Susan Mitchell wrote:
I think a lot of the problem was the outsourcing to private contractors
instead of the usual government workers who were doing such a good job
previously. That is happening a lot in government work and it flat out
is
not working!

Government workers doing a better job? ROTFLSHIWMP!

Susan Mitchell wrote:
Yes, a majority of them do thank you very much!

Well, I haven't seen any around here, that's for sure, but I will
concede that perhaps in places where the cost of living is lower and
people fight to get comparably-better-paying government jobs, the
relative quality of employee they get is probably better.

What's even sadder is that a lot of VA Hospitals have
been the joke of the medical field for years. Every
surgeon we've had over the past 16 years had to put in
some time at one and they all said the same thing -
substandard facilities and too much red tape. I just
have to wonder why it's out in the open all of a sudden.

Marsha/Ohio

Marsha,

I think that the situation at Walter Reed allowed for it to finally be
exposed with utter outrage, as there is a standard at Walter Reed that
is an expectation of the American People: It's supposed to be the
crown jewel of military medicine. If that hospital cannot hold up to
it's standard, then how can we expect any other military hospital or
VA to do the same?

It's out in the open because I spoke out. My husband spoke out. We
all spoke out. I give HUGE thanks to the Washington Post for
investigating this right under the noses of the command without ever
being noticed. Their investigation took four months! When Dana
Torrey Shannon

Government jobs are rarely paid more than outside but many work better than
the average and yes there are some workers that are horrible. Luckily, the
program is changing and those that are lousy are going to be easier to fire
and those that work their arses off will be rewarded accordingly, finally.
The problem with no-bid contracts (as in Walter Reed) is you have
corporations running them. Trust me that is a disaster. You want evil,
have a big corporation run a hospital, where money not lives is all that
matters at ALL costs. Cleanliness, health care be damned.

I'm glad you spoke out, so now something may finally be
done about it. With all due respect, though, it's the
timing of the piece that bothers me. This has been
going on for many, many years and some journalists just
decided now that it's important? Something's wrong
with this picture.

Marsha/Ohio

Susan Mitchell wrote:

Government jobs are rarely paid more than outside but many work better
than
the average and yes there are some workers that are horrible. Luckily,
the
program is changing and those that are lousy are going to be easier to
fire
and those that work their arses off will be rewarded accordingly,
finally.
The problem with no-bid contracts (as in Walter Reed) is you have
corporations running them. Trust me that is a disaster. You want evil,
have a big corporation run a hospital, where money not lives is all that
matters at ALL costs. Cleanliness, health care be damned.


Susan,

I have to say in my particular family situation,
government workers definitely were not better or more
cost effective. My brother and sister-in-law were both
"lifers" for the Social Security Administration. Their
pay and benefits were outrageous compared to the
private sector, and they were always bragging about
what they "didn't" do. Government agencies are such
massive organizations that there is no one to answer
to. In my experience, most government workers are
sloths. They have unlimited resources (taxpayer
money). People kill for the coveted government job, as
it's almost recession proof. If you want something
done efficiently, at the best cost, farm it out to a
private organization, where resources are not unlimited
and there's a motive for the employees to do what
they're supposed to do.

Marsha/Ohio

On Mar 13, 5:21 am, "Jennie" <jamal...@aol.com> wrote:





I transcribe numerous conferences and meetings pertaining to health
care.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard health care
professionals, subject-matter experts in the field, give praise to the
Department of Veterans Affairs for their state-of-the-art technology
and quality medical care. These are doctors, nurses, clinicians, et
cetera, at these meetings.

Maybe here in D.C., we live under a rock, but my brother gets
EXCELLENT care from the VAMC on Irving Street in D.C. He is a happy
camper. When he went to Medford, Oregon, he also received EXELLENT
care from the VAMC. My brother is 100-percent service-connected, and
the VA has kept him alive and well. He would not be here today if it
were not for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

God bless the Department of Veterans Affairs and all the health care
workers who continue to serve the veterans.

Jennie
Washington, D.C.

On Mar 12, 7:00 pm, Marsha <m...@xeb.net> wrote:

RaeMorrill wrote:
someone we know is fighting for these soldiers. Agree with the war or
not, I know all of us are concerned about the welfare of those who have
put their lives on the line.

What's even sadder is that a lot of VA Hospitals have
been the joke of the medical field for years. Every
surgeon we've had over the past 16 years had to put in
some time at one and they all said the same thing -
substandard facilities and too much red tape. I just
have to wonder why it's out in the open all of a sudden.

Marsha/Ohio- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Jeannie,

We have a LOT in common! I used to live in Klamath Falls,
Oregon...the nearest town was Medford (76 miles away). And, after
living in the DC area for the last two years, we have crossed paths.

I do agree that there are WONDERFUL providers, institutions, and
programs available for Vets. However, it's the ones that are not up
to par that need to be looked at. This is where the furor over Walter
Reed comes in.

My husband has been treated at the DCVA and has no complaints. We
have yet to be "discharged" or "retired" in any way, so the followup
care he will receive from any VA has yet to be determined.

I commend your brother for his service. Please let him know that this
family is fighting for his rights because he took the time to fight
for ours.

Torrey Shannon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Torrey Shannon wrote:
What's even sadder is that a lot of VA Hospitals have
been the joke of the medical field for years. Every
surgeon we've had over the past 16 years had to put in
some time at one and they all said the same thing -
substandard facilities and too much red tape. I just
have to wonder why it's out in the open all of a sudden.

Marsha/Ohio
Marsha,

I think that the situation at Walter Reed allowed for it to finally be
exposed with utter outrage, as there is a standard at Walter Reed that
is an expectation of the American People: It's supposed to be the
crown jewel of military medicine. If that hospital cannot hold up to
it's standard, then how can we expect any other military hospital or
VA to do the same?

It's out in the open because I spoke out. My husband spoke out. We
all spoke out. I give HUGE thanks to the Washington Post for
investigating this right under the noses of the command without ever
being noticed. Their investigation took four months! When Dana
Torrey Shannon

Torrey,

I'm glad you spoke out, so now something may finally be
done about it. With all due respect, though, it's the
timing of the piece that bothers me. This has been
going on for many, many years and some journalists just
decided now that it's important? Something's wrong
with this picture.

Marsha/Ohio- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They did a survey on my husband's job and his group was underpaid 33%
compared to outside comparable work, they received a 3% raise to "meet the
gap". He works his arse off. He has some people who do not work and he has
raised a stink about them to the point they have left. He is one that has
helped this new program go into effect that all government workers will only
get raises based on performance not tenure and they can be dropped like hot
potatoes if they are slackers! I love it as the bums will finally be gone
so your family members who brag about being slackers better retire while
they can as the slacker days will be ending! Hard workers will be rewarded
finally!

On Mar 13, 10:11 pm, Marsha <m...@xeb.net> wrote:
Torrey Shannon wrote:
What's even sadder is that a lot of VA Hospitals have
been the joke of the medical field for years. Every
surgeon we've had over the past 16 years had to put in
some time at one and they all said the same thing -
substandard facilities and too much red tape. I just
have to wonder why it's out in the open all of a sudden.

Marsha/Ohio
Marsha,

I think that the situation at Walter Reed allowed for it to finally
be
exposed with utter outrage, as there is a standard at Walter Reed
that
is an expectation of the American People: It's supposed to be the
crown jewel of military medicine. If that hospital cannot hold up
to
it's standard, then how can we expect any other military hospital
or
VA to do the same?

It's out in the open because I spoke out. My husband spoke out.
We
all spoke out. I give HUGE thanks to the Washington Post for
investigating this right under the noses of the command without
ever
being noticed. Their investigation took four months! When Dana
Torrey Shannon

Torrey,

I'm glad you spoke out, so now something may finally be
done about it. With all due respect, though, it's the
timing of the piece that bothers me. This has been
going on for many, many years and some journalists just
decided now that it's important? Something's wrong
with this picture.

Marsha/Ohio- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The Army has a way of suppressing things. I have been here for over
two years and spoke out a lot. However, the Public Affairs Office has
to give the "okay" for any news agency to come on campus to do any
story. They have to approve the content of anything put in print or
on film. Everything goes to the PAO office. Soldiers must get
permission to speak via the PAO office, etc.

In this case, the PAO office was deliberately left OUT of the
picture. The Washington Post reporters went on base (it's an open
base) without the knowledge of the command and conducted their
investigation. It took four months to do, but it was well worth it.

Because I had recently left Walter Reed as an employee, I was no
longer required to go through the PAO office. I fed them the
information they needed, and my husband simply spoke out and said, "Be
damned to the PAO office and command" and risked his career to do so.

In other words, the Washington Post circumvented the very offices that
prevented other news agencies from getting the story discovered and
out to the public. They did a damn good job, too!

Torrey
You go, Torrey. They might be able to "control" military personnel but