VA holds local town hall for veterans

Zachary M. Sage, associate director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Overton Brooks VA Medical Center in Shreveport, La., takes local military veterans' comments during a VA town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Arkansas Convention Center. The next local meeting is tentatively set for early next year.
Zachary M. Sage, associate director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Overton Brooks VA Medical Center in Shreveport, La., takes local military veterans' comments during a VA town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Arkansas Convention Center. The next local meeting is tentatively set for early next year.

For the third time this year, medical officials from Shreveport's Overton Brooks VA Medical Center took compliments as well as complaints from local military veterans at a Thursday town hall meeting at the Arkansas Convention Center.

The meeting, which focused on positive and problematic patient service, was the third and perhaps last meeting the medical center will be hold in Texarkana this year, with another possibly scheduled for January 2018.

Zachary M. Sage, the center's associate director, conducted a 90-minute meeting in which local military veterans spoke.

Local veteran Norman Powell said he's been treated nicely by VA staff at both the center and the local outpatient clinic, but he added that he has experienced some problems in getting prescriptions filled over the telephone.

Local veteran Jessie Linam said his filing of a medical claim regarding combat injuries to his knees has been disallowed. Linam, who is a World War II veteran well into his 90s, also mentioned that he's been experiencing recent nose bleeds and is unable to drive to Shreveport for medical attention.

Dr. John Areno, the center' chief of medical staff, told Linam, that he (Areno) would see that someone local tend to Linam's medical needs.

Local veteran Floyd Browning asked about plans the VA may have regarding the building of a new clinic in Texarkana, to which Sage replied that such plans for a new clinic do exist, but he added that the design work still needs to be conducted. Sage added that such a clinic would provide more specialized medical services, which could save many local veterans from having to make the drive to Shreveport.

"I'm not sure we would have an X-ray room in this new clinic, but one could eventually be retrofitted into the building if we need one here," Sage said. "Right now we may be going as far out as the year 2020 before we can get a building design."

Areno told veterans, of which there were about 55 to 60 at the meeting, that they can get medical emergency treatment at local hospitals. However, he added that the medical center would need to be notified of the emergency medical treatment within 72 hours after the emergency visit, at which time the VA would pay for the medical procedures.

Before the meeting ended, Areno told veterans that perhaps the best telephone number they could call for the most prompt VA medical assistance would be 1-800-606-8198.

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