It was a busy couple of days for VA Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie as he made the rounds in Colorado for several special events. On Friday, May 11, Wilkie met with leadership at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH) at the University of Colorado to discuss what the institute does as a VA force multiplier in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of Veterans with persistent symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury and associated psychological health conditions. The acting secretary vowed to help MIBH in providing the best care possible to our Veterans.
Wilkie then visited the new Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora. The brand new facility will be opening later this summer. Wilkie participated in a project discussion with regional leadership and was given an extensive tour of the 1.2 million square foot facility, which features expanded telehealth, traumatic brain injury programs, polytrauma as well as diagnostic and treatment facilities.
On Friday evening, Wilkie attended the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) 60th anniversary celebration in Colorado Springs.
“On behalf of the president and the grateful citizens of the United States, we are immensely proud and humbled by the sacrifice and dedication you give selflessly, hand-in-hand every day, to maintain the safety and security of our nations,” he said to the members of NORAD, military and guests in attendance.
Saturday morning, May 12, Wilkie served as guest speaker at the Air and Space Museum in Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, for NORAD’s 60th anniversary ceremony and mission display. Wilkie spoke to the audience highlighting the important partnership between the United States and Canada in the monitoring of airspace, waters and land.
“I’ve seen military life and military organizations from many angles, as the son of a gravely wounded combat soldier, and now, from a different perspective, as the acting secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Wilkie said. “In all those phases of my life and my service in those capacities, I’ve always been struck by the critical importance of partnerships and alliances amongst free people.”
To view images from Acting Secretary Wilkie’s visit to Colorado, click here to visit the photo gallery on VA’s Flickr page.
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Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie, did you get a chance to incur into the poor care, staff issues, complaints, failure to provide adequate medical care for chronic pain and other conditions, inadequate staffing, and hostility towards veterans by civilian physicians and employees that is happening in most VA hospitals across the states, CO included?
So, when does he plan to tour Audie L. Murphy V. A. Hospital in San Antonio, Texas with its known issues of poor care, staff issues, complaints, failure to provide adequate medical care for chronic pain and other conditions, inadequate staffing, and a hostility towards veterans by civilian physicians and employees.