A month and a half after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, the team at VA Caribbean is working even harder to deliver care to those Veterans in need. Every day, outreach teams visit patients unable to travel for treatment, offering transport and delivering supplies and critical medications, such as temperature-sensitive insulin.
Meanwhile, remaining VA team members keep the island’s clinics and temporary facilities up and running. The VA clinic in Ponce, for example, is currently housed in a tent village, which includes a mobile pharmacy and a truck designated for counseling and FEMA application assistance. In addition, Veterans can receive behavior health services from a bus-based clinic.
The aftermath of the storm has also left many Veterans living in isolation and dealing with reactivated symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Psychiatrist Carlos De Jesus has treated several Veterans experiencing PTSD in response to sudden changes in sound and surrounding landscapes. He and the entire VA Caribbean team are devoting all their time to help our Veterans cope, recover and rebuild their lives.
VA has made considerable progress in restoring capabilities after Hurricane Maria, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Our Veterans need us now more than ever. Your skills and compassion could help get patients back on track to greater health and happiness. If you’re passionate about serving Veterans and showing them how much they matter, explore our open positions and apply today.
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They are working hard but we have a problem and that is that veterans on CPAP that have NO POWER are not using their machines as the VA hospital is not providing a backup battery for them. I was told that if I wanted there was a local dealer that sold the batteries to Veterans with a $100.00 discount $300.00 is too much money for me. yet I have a follow up Appointment with a Neurologist in March 2018, to see how I’m progressing with the new machine. the machine has not run one day yet and it was given to me in November. Is there something you can work out for Puerto Rico Veterans and FEMA.