A Soldier (dot) net

According to US Medicine one of the major issues that has arisen in recent years is staffing and provision of long-term care for veterans with multiple severe injuries. As of June 2010, more than 37,000 military service personnel have been wounded in action, and out of those 20,000 have been unable to return to duty within 72 hours of the injury. It is presumed this is because they are too severely injured to return to their regular duties.

Staffing Problems

More than any other military action, the number and severity of injuries has been unprecedented. Also, with advances in medical care, more and more soldiers are surviving their injuries, however they continue to need care far beyond their immediate injury. Given the high numbers of injuries, it is hardly surprising the medical staffing is a problem throughout the entire Veterans Administration health care system.

Long-term care requires specialists in pain management, rehabilitation management, vision specialists, prosthetic rehabilitation and mental health providers. Unfortunately, even with heavy recruiting efforts, the VA has been unable to maintain the level of staffing necessary to fully meet the needs of the large numbers of military personnel who need medical care services.

Restructuring to Better Meet Demands

One of the recommendations to the Veterans Administration has been to significantly restructure their delivery of care. Older veterans’ memories of VA health care are often associated with large, unwieldy bureaucratic medical care that was poor in quality and was the option of last resort.

In recent years, the VA has made tremendous efforts to change that perception and recruit quality medical providers. Additionally, the VA has gained the reputation as being at the leading edge of providing care for poly-traumatic injuries and traumatic brain injury. Several VA treatment centers that specialize in traumatic brain injuries and limb replacement are considered top medical centers in the nation.

Additionally, the VA has made an effort to increase public awareness of the services they offer to returning veterans. While today’s injuries are different from older soldiers who suffered the long term results from things like asbestos exposure when working in naval ship yards in the past, even illnesses like asbestos cancer and mesothelioma can be addressed and treated by the VA.

Today’s Veterans Administration health center is much more modernized than in the past. Many medical facilities provide the best care for a wide range of emergent and chronic long-term health issues and are considered top rated medical facilities.