“The Veterans Affairs Department is planning for a potential wave of COVID-19 cases and other illnesses starting this fall, which could force it to play a bigger role in the national public health system.”
“’We are preparing in the event this boomerangs on the country in the fall and in the winter,’ said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie in an interview with Government Executive. ‘We are preparing for the eventuality of flu and COVID coming together.’”
“As a result, the VA’s ‘fourth mission’ (in addition to providing health care for veterans, running the veterans’ benefits program and managing national cemeteries) of supplementing the national health care system in times of emergency could become even more critical in the coming months.”
“’What we’ve been able to do is stockpile for what may come, and I think we’re in an excellent place,’ Wilkie said. ‘We have months of supplies on hand.’”
“The department, which has significantly boosted hiring since the pandemic began, also has accelerated efforts to add even more personnel…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA Secretary: We’re Preparing for Coronavirus ‘Boomerang’ in Fall – By Tom Shoop, August 14, 2020. Government Executive.
