Veterans care leader retiring after 34 years

He led Central Arkansas health system since 2006

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL --2/22/12 --  Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Director Michael Winn.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL --2/22/12 -- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Director Michael Winn.

Relaxing for a moment in his second-story office at John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Michael Winn relayed the experiences that led him to a 34-year career with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

His father was an Army veteran, and both of his parents worked for, and retired from, the VA. He volunteered in a VA pharmacy in Memphis as a teenager, and he helped out his neighbor, a quadriplegic veteran, when no one else could be with him.

“My job was to sit with him and hold his cigarette, change the channel on the TV or just visit with him,” Winn said. “Those formative years built a foundation of what was to come. This isn’t just a career. It’s a calling.”

Winn said Friday that he will retire next month from his position as director of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, the regional health care arm of the VA.

Winn, 57, said he is leaving to spend more time with family and pursue personal projects. His last day will be Oct. 3.

Throughout the past 34 years, Winn has been assigned to regional VA offices in seven states — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, West Virginia, Colorado, Georgia and Louisiana.

“With the number of moves I’ve had, I’d like to now spend some time with family,” he said. “They’ve been supportive throughout all these moves, and I’d like to pay them back for that time. I’ve been considering this for some time.”

As director, Winn is in charge of all activities at Little Rock’s John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital and Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center, formerly Fort Roots, in North Little Rock. He also manages a day treatment center for homeless veterans in downtown Little Rock and community-based outpatient clinics in Conway, El Dorado, Hot Springs, Mena, Mountain Home, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Searcy.

For the past eight years, he has led the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, which comprises about 3,400 employees and runs on an annual budget of more than $545 million.

Winn said Friday that the VA is taking applications for his position, and an interim director will be named soon.

Winn’s departure comes after months of recent problems involving the federal VA, which included the manipulation of records at some health care facilities to conceal how long veterans had to wait for care. Those problems led to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation in May, and Robert McDonald was appointed as the agency’s new secretary in July.

In August, President Barack Obama signed into law a $16.3 billion overhaul of the VA, and McDonald ordered each VA region in the country to hold open forums by the end of September to restore the public’s trust.

On Aug. 19, Winn hosted a town hall meeting at Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center and listened as local veterans voiced concerns about wait times and a lack of professionalism among VA employees. At times during the two-hour meeting, Winn had to calm the crowd as people yelled complaints simultaneously.

“It makes you wonder why he’s leaving at a time when they’re trying to make major changes,” said Mike Ross, a retired Army National Guard colonel who periodically relayed suggestions to Winn. “I’ve always liked him, and I think his heart is in the right place. I knew that I could always go to him with an issue.”

Winn said he appointed people to look into the broad issues that surfaced during the forum, and he noted that the new director will take over where he left off.

“There have always been changes in the VA,” Winn said. “It has continued to evolve in many ways over the years, and I think that as we continue to move forward, you will see the VA adding more clinical providers and creating even better access for veterans. I’m optimistic about that. I look forward to seeing continued growth and improvement.”

Winn first started with the VA in 1980 as an intern in the human resources department at the Little Rock branch. He worked in human resources for 12 years and in four states before joining a health care management training program in 1992. After graduating from the year-long program, he served as assistant director in two VA locations, then became director of the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville in 2000.

He’s held his current position since November 2006.

Looking back on more than three decades with the VA, Winn shared some of his accomplishments, such as getting an audiology department and other specialized care for the VA in Fayetteville and adding four community-based outpatient clinics to the Central Arkansas system. Most recently, he said, his team has attempted to change the culture of the Central Arkansas VA by sending employees on retreats focused on patient-centered care.

“How do we make the patient the focal point of our decision-making, the focal point of each day?” Winn said. “How do we do more than just treat the disease but the whole person? These are the kinds of things we’re talking about now.”

Debby Meece, a spokesman for the system, said she and other employees are still “digesting” the news of Winn’s retirement.

“In every new employee orientation, he goes in and says, ‘There aren’t many jobs that you can go into and serve heroes every day,’” Meece said. “He’s had a wonderful federal career, and we’re excited for him. He’s going to be missed.”

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