PORT ANGELES — Lots of warm good intentions but no fiery calls to specific action greeted the “virtual VA clinic” proposal during U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s visit with veterans Monday.
“We are going to keep working on this,” Murray, D-Shoreline, told about 60 people gathered in the Clallam County Veterans Center, 261 S. Francis St.
Specific strategies, however, fell short of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks’ promise 11 days earlier to introduce a bill to make the clinic a pilot project.
Dicks is a Democrat from Belfair.
A “virtual” VA clinic would use health-care providers on the North Olympic Peninsula and support services from Olympic Medical Center and other hospitals to treat veterans with routine health needs.
The idea is the brainchild of hospital Commissioner Jim Leskinovitch, a retired captain in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Long ride to Seattle
Veterans seeking VA treatment currently face riding a Disabled American Veterans van on a 200-mile round-trip from Neah Bay to the VA hospital in Seattle or a clinic in American Lake.
The ride can last 16 hours. During flu and cold season, one veteran said, it can take seven to eight days to reserve a ride in the van.
“The challenges you have with transportation are very, very serious,” Murray told about 60 people gathered in the Clallam County Veterans Center, 261 S. Francis St.
She was joined by four executives of the VA’s regional offices. One of them cautioned that the law does not enable the agency to contract for services outside the walls of VA facilities.
“It’s an unfortunate thing,” said VA Regional Director Tim Williams. “My job is to do the best with the rules we have.”
