Snowe urges veterans to share health care stories

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Maine military service members and veterans are being encouraged to share their health care experiences, good or bad, with Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Snowe’s office announced Tuesday a special request for firsthand reports on the quality of the care delivered by military and Veterans Affairs facilities to wounded and traumatized service members and veterans. A special e-mail link has been added to Snowe’s Web site, www.Snowe.Senate.gov, to make it easier to contact her.

In Maine, response to the announcement was positive, though the leader of a veterans group cautioned that individuals trained in the culture of the military may not be quick to air their grievances.

“I want to know how our Maine soldiers, reservists, National Guard and veterans have been treated upon their return,” Snowe said in a prepared statement, “especially those of you who required medical treatment, be it physical, spiritual or mental.”

She said the information-gathering effort comes in response to “recent revelations of the deplorable conditions of military hospitals and recuperation facilities treating our wounded warriors” – a reference to media reports of substandard conditions in a residential facility at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a recently ordered investigation into other medical facilities.

“Like every American, I believe these findings to be nothing less than disgraceful – and frankly disrespectful of all who so nobly wear our nation’s uniform,” Snowe said.

Ron Brodeur, inspector general for the Maine office of Disabled American Veterans, said Tuesday that he regrets the negative publicity surrounding Walter Reed and the implication that health care for American military members and veterans is substandard.

Administrators may be at fault, he said, “but the medical side of the operation is doing outstanding work.”

Brodeur, a veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars, said his own health care at the Togus VA Medical Center near Augusta has been excellent. He added that many of the physicians and other practitioners in the VA system are young and have been trained according to the most current medical practices.

Brodeur agreed that Snowe’s effort to gather grassroots information from her constituents in Maine could provide valuable guidance to federal lawmakers and policymakers. The challenge, he said, is getting vets to break through the military culture of stoicism to share their experiences.

“Good soldiers don’t complain,” Brodeur said. “They’re proud of their service, they’re proud of what they’ve done and they’re proud of the people taking care of them.”

Vets will log on to Snowe’s Web site eventually, he said, “when they find a way to give their views without feeling like they’re beating up the system.”

At Togus, director Jack Sims said Tuesday that he welcomes the opportunity to get more input from the veterans in Maine.

While results reported in routine patient surveys are generally “outstanding,” he said, “I’m not naive enough to think there aren’t some who have witnessed or experienced services that are not up to all our expectations. This is an opportunity to learn, and that’s fine.”

Sims said that of the roughly 37,000 Maine veterans currently receiving services either at Togus or at one of five VA-run outpatient clinics scattered throughout the state, about 700 are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The influx of a new generation of veterans has created some delays in how long it takes to see a medical practitioner but has not been overwhelming, he said.

Most patients get the care they need in a timely way, Sims maintained, adding that the Togus facilities are in good physical condition and equipment is updated as appropriate.

Sims said the Togus staff always reaches out to returning service members to be sure they know what services are available and how to enroll.

Contacting Snowe

E-mail may be sent to Sen. Snowe via her Web site, www.Snowe.Senate.gov. Those wishing to share their experiences via phone or postal service are encouraged to contact Snowe’s local offices in Maine, including:

Bangor office:

One Cumberland Place

Suite 306

Bangor, ME 04401

945-0432

Presque Isle office:

169 Academy Street

Suite 3

Presque Isle, ME 04769

764-5124

Augusta office:

Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building

40 Western Avenue

Room 408C

Augusta, ME 04330

622-8292