CODEL expresses concern over the veterans community based outpatient clinic

Following the Congressional Delegation’s visit to Guam, Chairperson of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, along with Delegate James Moylan have signed and sent a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs covering a wide array of concerns.

The letter addressed several observations by the HVAC staff during a site visit to the Community Based Outpatient Clinic including concerns with the storage and dispensing of medication, limits of movement for employees, inadequate medical staff, and apprehensions with potential violations of patient safety and confidentiality.

While the CBOC is in the process of an expansion to the northern part of Guam, the timeline for its potential opening is still a year away. However, many of the current issues need to be rectified.

The letter requested for answers from the DVA on how they intend on addressing these findings by the end of the month. It also requests for briefings from both the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System based in Hawaii, and the Veterans Integrated Services Network based in California, both of whom have jurisdictional purview over the CBOC.

Moylan expressed, “I want to thank Chairman Bost and the leadership of HVAC for ensuring that the CODEL would result in deliverables. Our veterans don’t deserve more lip service as experienced in past years. This letter is a start, as it opens the door for a more extensive conversation with not just the DVAC, but also the VAPIHCS and VISN, when it comes to seeking an improvement in the services and care for our veterans in Guam. Interestingly, since the letter went out, our office is scheduled for a briefing with the head of VISN region 21 later thisweek, and the VAPIHCS will be visiting Guam in June. This will include a briefing with Dr. Adam Robinson, who leads the entity. This is a great start.”

Last week, Delegate Moylan sent letters to both the DVA and the VAPIHCS to address other concerns raised by veterans, including the limitations with the medical travel policy, and the need for an expansion of the parking lot at the CBOC.

The Delegate’s office is also in discussions with various entities on the timeline challenges Guam veterans face with securing a disability rating, the expansion of care for veterans at the Naval Hospital Guam, and the increase of grant funding for veteran based entities to avail.