Veterans concerned about services provided by the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville have a new avenue for voicing their worries.
The Veterans Voices Advisory Council was recently formed by a group of veterans and family members. The organization works with local Veterans Affairs administrators to address concerns raised by the public, said Martin Jordan, chairman of the group.
About 10 veterans and their relatives are on the council, Jordan said. Anyone who uses the Fayetteville VA is invited to join and can become a voting member, he said.
"We are basically a liaison between patients and staff," Jordan said. "We have more direct contact with veterans because we are also veterans. We can easily address situations because we are involved in those situations ourselves."
Laura Mortensen, Fayetteville VA health education coordinator, is a liaison to the advisory council. The council aligns with the health care system's desire to be veteran-focused, she said.
"I think we can get information directly from the veterans and find out issues, complaints or compliments they have for the facility," Mortensen said. "We are very much interested in listening."
Mortensen said her goal is to help the council deliver messages to the right people in the health care system.
"We are just there to help out and to do the footwork," Mortensen said.
The Mental Health Consumer Council has been successful in addressing mental health concerns at the Fayetteville VA for several years. That council also is made up of veterans.
Jim Hale, Mental Health Consumer Council member, said the council has helped to improve programming in the health care system. Examples include the addition of therapies such as biofeedback and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, he said.
"All the VA had was pills and talk therapy," Hale said. "We really got them into the 21st century."
Changes presented by the council weren't necessarily heard by the VA at first, Hale said.
"Any bureaucracy is going to have resistance, and we spent quite a while trying to get them to listen to us," Hale said. "Now they know we have legitimate ideas, and we are not going to go away."
Hale, also a member of the Veterans Voices Advisory Council, said he is excited about the new council that will focus on health care overall.
"We fought hard for these services," Hale said. "We earned this. We are priority one. This is why we are so determined to make this work for everyone. What we get for us benefits every veteran."
VA employees often have trouble relating to the veterans, Jordan said.
"A veteran can talk to another veteran and know where they are coming from," Jordan said. "We have been there. We can understand and sympathize. The staff at the VA cannot always do that."
Jordan said there are already a few issues the council plans to address, such as emergency room wait times and alternative options for pain management.
"A lot of times we [veterans] come into the center looking for help, and they assume we want pain medication," Jordan said. "A lot of us want sincere help."
The Veterans Voices Advisory Council will meet at 1 p.m. today in the MRI Conference Room of Building 2 on the Fayetteville VA campus. The meeting is open to Fayetteville VA patients, staff members and the public.
NW News on 10/20/2014