Recently I went with a friend who is a Disabled Navy Vet and Career Iron Worker, to the VA. For more than two years he has been running through the revolving door of the VA system and Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homeless. He ended up on the streets do to issues out of his control, in which not one reason could be made to argue he did any wrong doing. He like many of are aging vets lives day to day with staggering lingering pain. It takes him 2-4 hours to get his day started, because of sciatic pain in several spots, deep tissue pain all over, which could be fasciitis or any number of other pathologist. We cannot say for sure because doctors have not diagnosed him for it. He often loses track of where he is , what he is doing, or where he is going. It obvious is has beginning stages of a elderly mind deterioration. He often has symptoms of dizziness, lightheaded, he will randomly shout through the day about the pain. Recently he has had chest pains, so we went to the Veterans Hospital In Tucson. The Hospital is clean and has a beautiful southwest Spanish look. Its said to rank in the top 10 VA hospitals in the country, yet it has not relieved any awards in at least 4 years. The staff is happy but their reaction to their clients was seen as mixed, some being rude for no reason, others rising to stay positive.
We arrived at the ER around 4 pm, and wet through triage 3 hours later. There were 26 people there, some who had chest pain as well or a broken limb. They had been wanting for 6 hours before we got there. We stayed until 930 pm, in which we were told because of lack of staff and high epidermic, most people would not be seen until after day break.
The next day we came back at 230pm we went to the Clinic. It took an hour to be seen, they did a EKG, and we were transferred to the ER. We got to the ER at 336 pm, there was 28 people. 6 of them had been there since 11 am. We mad it into triage by 540pm. We saw the numbers rise in the lobby, many with broken limbs, having chest pains, or reasons were give to the ER because the VA could schedule an appointment until the fall. many talked about there service, their lives since, and even the on going VA Scandals. The staff hurried by and every once in a while stopped and apologized for the wait, saying they are understaffed, don't have enough space and complained about everyone coming in at once rather than at different times. The people coming in for mental health reasons were given priority and intakes quick and taken back quicker. The hours went by, people came; never were seen, and left. We ended up being told at 1030 when they did a headcount , that they are still backed up, but nobody that is here will be seen before day break.
At that time a man came in in a wheel chair, shivering and convulsing. he was tall and thin, he bore a surgical mask. He was not responsive and was having his wheel chair pushed by a friend. he choked loudly and screamed. The friend tried to get the attention of a nurse, no one was at the check in booth. The nurse cut him off and told him they are busy and have another on going priorities. They parked him in the hall. The man was pale and is skin was red, you could tell he was burning up. He had a temperature of 107 and caught ammonia from a family member. he was still unresponsive, still convulsing. My heart wept for they man, but there he sat for the next few hours. I left to get food after sometime; hungry after the long day in the ER it was 1 am.
As the hours went on, vets got fed up and started leaving. In the time we had been there , only 3 people went back and those were mental health cases. The people who had come in at 11am were still waiting as were many who had come in after. By 345 my friend and others finally started being called back. In the back there were many empty bed but they still told people in the lobby that they lacked space and were understaffed. There were nurses playing games on their phones not working, there were nurses not helping people but asking people already being helped questions about their living situation and jobs hoping to catch them defrauding the hospital. meanwhile other vets remain trying to get a nurses attention I went to use the restroom, in the lobby there were still 6 people yet to be called. All but one had left without being seen by 4 am. By 5 30 am we were leaving.
It seemed like we were racing against molasses and behind by 15 laps.
It had taken anyone wanting help from the VA ER, 15 or more hours to receive that help. One girl who had left was an Army Vet she came in for a mysterious skin pathology that was spreading her body, she waited 13 hours. A former TFD Chief had spent 16 hours with no result.The guy in the wheel chair spent 8 hours there before getting help. Another a broken hand spent 14 hours before getting help.
My goal of writing this is not to demean anyone, but shed light that those who served should not have to wait 2/3 of a day to possibly receive help in an emergency, and they served so others would not have to suffer. It is up to us to care for all of our people! In the richest country in the world, with a government that collects all information on us from birth; there is no reason for any disabled american to be backlogged or placed in a revolving door so another can be enriched!!
