#Middlebury #Veterans
by Freddy Groves
The Department of Veterans Affairs has a new program: the Physician Ambassador Program, which pairs volunteer medical personnel with VA medical centers and clinics. Since they will be volunteers, they’ll be working for free.
These won’t be the nice ladies who bring around a cart of magazines. These will be licensed and trained physicians and clinicians for mental health, cardiac care, emergency medicine, primary care, urgent care, rural care and more. They’ll work alongside the health teams in any of the 1,700 VA facilities.
And did I mention that they’ll work for free?
I have questions:
- Who is going to check their credentials?
- In the event of a dispute, who does the veteran patient turn to if the medical person in question isn’t part of the VA?
- Who has the authority to hire/fire a volunteer? Each volunteer will have the credentials, but we know that doesn’t actually mean anything when it comes to the level of care given. Since they’ll be volunteers, will they answer to the Voluntary Services Office, the same department that provides the magazine cart lady?
- How is this new program different from the one already in place? For example, a partial list of ambassadors needed at a few of the VA medical centers includes taking lab and blood samples, working in the nursing unit, assisting in the dialysis unit, helping in the ER, assisting with patient care and pharmacy support.
- If the plan is to use volunteers in lieu of hired (paid) staff, how will it impact the level of care if volunteers don’t show up?
The bill for the Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans Act was first promoted by a Texas congressman in 2014. It was introduced in the Senate and the House in early 2015. Where has it been since then?
(c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.
