MANCHESTER, NH — Reassuring Veterans that he would continue putting their needs first, today, Acting VA Secretary Peter O’Rourke announced his concurrence with Manchester VA Medical Center’s Response to the Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG) recommendations regarding future health-care delivery for Veterans in New Hampshire.
After criticisms about conditions at the Manchester VA Medical Center (VAMC), in August, VA announced it would develop a task force to address the future of Veteran health care in New Hampshire.
“Establishing the VA New Hampshire Vision 2025 Task Force [a subcommittee of SMAG] was part of VA creating the right environment for Veterans at the Manchester VAMC,” Acting Secretary O’Rourke said. “VA is proud to concur with the thoughtful input we have received to enhance the Veteran experience in New Hampshire.
“Our Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is going to take the lessons learned and incorporate the best practices across our VA medical centers to ensure all are performing at the level we see here in New Hampshire,” O’Rourke continued.
The SMAG recommendations describe full-service health care delivery for New Hampshire Veterans, advancing access to expertise and innovation across the region, and suggested that while this model was specially developed for New Hampshire, that best practices may be applicable to markets and regions across VHA. VA New Hampshire Vision 2025 Task Force, which is made up of multi-disciplinary subject matter experts from the local medical community, as well as Veterans and VA officials, analyzed data and solicited input from Veterans and other key stakeholders to learn how to best address the needs of New Hampshire Veterans.
“An incredible amount of work was invested by the members of the task force, and we are grateful,” said Alfred Montoya, director of the Manchester VA Medical Center. “Endorsement of the recommendations further empowers the Manchester VAMC to continue on the path of innovative firsts and to expand services to best meet the needs of New Hampshire’s Veterans.”
For more information, contact Kristin.Pressly@va.gov from the Manchester VAMC’s Office of Public Affairs.