Fayetteville VA prepares for Veteran Town Hall
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- The Fayetteville VA Medical Center is preparing to hear veterans' complaints and concerns during two town hall meetings scheduled for Friday.
They will be held at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the VAMC's Ramsey Street campus.
The meetings have been planned for weeks, but fall on the day the VA closes its Emergency Room because of a doctor shortage.
ABC11 confirmed the ER closure Thursday morning, as it transitions into a 12-hour daily Urgent Care. It's directly related to a contracting dispute reported earlier this month.
The Fayetteville hospital has faced criticism over recent months as the system tries to address care issues nationwide. Those issues, dubbed the "VA Scandal" nationwide, include long appointment wait times, physician retention and hiring troubles, management performance bonuses amid altered records investigations and in worst-case scenarios, veteran deaths related to substandard care.
The Fayetteville VA, servicing the largest concentration of veterans in the country, ranked one of the highest in the nation for long appointment wait times.
Two weeks ago, the facility secured lease agreements to open additional space to treat its large vet population, but this week, the doctor shortage led to shutting down the ER.
"As a veteran, I'll say 'bear with us,'" said spokesman Jeffrey Melvin on Thursday. "We've been beat up, but we've also been defended. There are quite a few people in this community who speak highly of the care that they receive here and that's going to continue. That's actually a testament to the people who are here."
Meanwhile, all veterans who are having a medical emergency such as stroke or heart attack should call 911. If you are having an emergency such as a stroke or heart attack and are taken to another hospital by ambulance, have the hospital contact the local VA as soon as possible. The number for the local hospital to call is (800) 771-6106 ext 7002 or (800) 936-7540.
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