Press release from Bruce Macdonald:
Military veterans, many of whom receive medical services through the VA Healthcare System, will express their gratitude to the staff of the Charles George VA Medical Center outside the front entrance of the hospital located at 1100 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
“Veterans are coming to Charles George VA Medical Center to thank the staff for the superb care they provide to us, and especially for their dedication and commitment to veterans during this COVID-19 pandemic. The Veterans Health Administration is a medical system that is second to none, one that provides the highest quality care and is responsive to the unique healthcare needs of veterans,” said Gerry Werhan, former Marine and president of the Asheville Chapter of Veterans For Peace.
Veterans across the country are increasingly alarmed and adamantly opposed to the slow dismantling of the VA Healthcare System under the guise of providing “better” care to veterans in the private sector. Much needed resources in the VA are being shifted to private medical facilities whose services have not been evalu-ated for quality of care or costs. With the institution of the “Choice” program that undermines VA services, privatization of the VA Healthcare System is well underway. Every dollar diverted to a private healthcare provider is one less dollar for the VA Healthcare System. “The vast majority of veterans who use the VA Healthcare System know the quality of care and respect that veterans receive when they walk through the doors of a VA medical facility. They do not want their care in the private sector,” said Werhan.
The Asheville Chapter of Veterans For Peace is actively involved in the “Save Our VA” campaign that Veterans For Peace launched in 2018. “Politicians who purport to honor and respect veterans are slowly dis-mantling VA Healthcare,” said Bruce Carruthers, chapter member and chair of the local Save Our VA com-mittee. “The public needs to know what is happening and help us strengthen, not weaken, VA Healthcare.”
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