WASHINGTON - The Bush administration announced preliminary steps Wednesday to improve treatment for wounded veterans with the hiring of staff to coordinate care between the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department.
The agreement signed Wednesday by the two departments creates "federal recovery coordinators," a recommendation of the presidential commission chaired by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala that was set up following disclosures of substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"There's a lot that we can do through the executive branch with those recommendations, but the president will also continue to call on Congress to do its part," said White House press secretary Dana Perino.
The coordinators will oversee medical care coordination between the two departments, which have joint responsibility in caring for wounded veterans. The coordinators will also work closely with family members to take care of services and needs.
The first 10 coordinators, scheduled to be hired by Dec. 1, will work at military health care facilities and at any other locations where patients are later assigned. They will be located at Walter Reed; the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Balboa Park Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
I trust Bob Dole will keep his eye on this. I sure will.
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