“Though the coronavirus outbreak is projected to overwhelm the U.S. hospital system, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in an interview that veterans will be taken care of.”
“We are in the emergency preparedness business,” Wilkie said. “We started marshaling our supplies at the beginning of February, when our people told us that there was a potential for this [virus] coming here. So we have supplies, we have ventilators, we are working with the private sector to get as many masks as we need.”
“Wilkie has directed the VA to stop all elective surgeries to free up medical personnel…
Park said she’s getting field reports from employees who feel they’re not getting enough guidance about how to implement screenings. She said that the coronavirus response has a patchwork quality that compromises the safety of healthcare workers and patients.”
“Each facility has a different screening procedure,” Park said. “Different entrances are closed. Different screening questions are being asked. Different triage is going on once people are screened.”
“Members of Congress also have pressed the VA about its ability to handle a pandemic…” Read the full article here.
Source: The VA Is Screening For Coronavirus, But Not Everyone At The Agency Feels Prepared – By Carson Frame, March 23, 2020. WUSF.
