VA to take 2nd look at local hospital reach
WASHINGTON – The Veterans Administration has ordered a new study of the Fort Wayne Veterans Affairs hospital, raising hopes that none of the health care services will be eliminated.
A national commission recommended in 2004 that only outpatient care be offered in Fort Wayne and that area veterans go to Indianapolis for in-patient services. After the recommendation sparked protests from veterans and Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, the VA hired a consulting firm to study inpatient services at the hospital, where 37,000 veterans get care.
A spokesman for the Fort Wayne hospital said Thursday the VA headquarters in Washington is taking bids for a new study, this one for the outpatient care the hospital provides.
“We’re happy they’re taking a more comprehensive look,” said the spokesman, Timothy Twiss.
The initial recommendation to dramatically cut back on the services provided at the Lake Avenue hospital was made before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq spiked the number of veterans with injuries and post-war medical conditions. The $530,000 in-inpatient report, more than a year in the making and due last summer, was never made public.
In a statement he issued late Thursday, Souder said he is “disgusted that there is no resolution to the fight to maintain veterans’ inpatient care that we’ve been waging for years.”
sylviasmith@jg.net
