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VA Facilties and Links |
| | A Post member's view of our VA medical facilities | | | Post member Bonnie Welbaum recently had the need to use the services of our regional Veterans Administration (VA) regional facilities. She had a positive experience, and I asked her to document it so we could share them with other Veterans that may need to use these services.
JWMoore
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Bonnie's comments
Recently I drove myself to the emergency room at the John D McNamara Veterans Hospital in Detroit. I knew I’d spend some time there but stayed a little longer than expected. They kept me for further observation and medical test which resulted in me being admitted for 6 days for some stomach problems. Years ago I often heard jokes or sneers about the quality of service received at the typical Veterans Hospital and wondered how my experience would go. I’m here to say the reputation of the hospital is undeserved. I was grateful to have the benefit of using the hospital since I am in between jobs and with no insurance.
Everyone at the hospital was very professional and workers and staff were friendly and willing to assist and answer questions. The hospital and clinic was clean and cheerful. The staff was very hospitable when visitors came to the room. Over the six days, I had quite a few tests done, and I was very impressed with the quality of service and care I received. Today’s Veterans Hospital has improved from the negative image it had years ago to a very modern facility with high tech equipment found in the highest quality hospitals around.
If you are a veteran and are considering whether you should check out the hospital or outpatient clinics, I would like to recommend that you do so. The paperwork to initially get signed into the outpatient program is somewhat time-consuming but it is worth the extra time it takes to be under the umbrella of the program. Once your paperwork is completed you can get appointments with a regular physician that you can count on seeing every time you visit the outpatient clinic for checkups or whatever. Depending on your income for charges, the hospital is available for just about any type test you might need, as well as the Woman’s Clinic for annual checkups and routine test. Many of the doctors and interns are students from Wayne State or other near-by medical schools and are very professional and thorough at all times.
Some individuals who need further testing are seen at the Karmonos Cancer Research Center just across the street. The hospital reimburses Veterans for their parking at either facility. Driving to Detroit was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I-75 will get you there from Milford in about 40 minutes. I also want to complement the new Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Pontiac on Baldwin Road, just down the street from Great Lakes Crossing. The Clinic is beautiful with a pharmacy outside the office. It is definitely geared for the veterans with World War II display cases showing uniforms and posters from years ago. Posters of the different services, photographs of different battles and conflicts, including doughboy uniforms as well as women in the military are those that stand out. Again the people working there are very nice and make for a positive experience without having to drive to Detroit or Ann Arbor.
Bonnie Welbaum
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