Sept. 20 was no ordinary morning as Hurricane Maria’s 155-mph winds and rain were lashing the island.
“Everyone was ready to get back to work. Everyone wanted to continue our mission as quickly as possible.”
Currently five mobile medical units are operating in Beaumont and staff are seeing more than 100 patients a day.
The Arecibo Community Based Outpatient Clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for prescription refills and renewals, and other minor problems, like colds and small infections. Counseling is also available.
The Arecibo Vet Center reopened its doors to area Veterans almost a month after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
“Operation Stand Down Rebound" is providing homeless Veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless, with the opportunity to access a broad range of services in one convenient location.
Approximately 35 medical patients from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have arrived in Shreveport, Louisiana, via a dozen military aircraft or smaller private planes.
During the height of emergency operations, VA staff deemed essential spent several days “living” at the VA medical centers in order to provide seamless care for their patients sheltered-in-place.
While Hurricane Maria recovery efforts are underway, VA staff is ensuring that Veterans are receiving the care they need.
VA’s Debt Management Center has suspended collections on debts for those located in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s declared disaster areas recent hurricanes.
During an emergency, Veterans enrolled in My HealtheVet can access their medication refills, health records and other valuable tools when medical centers and other facilities are inaccessible.
In Puerto Rico where electricity was knocked out by Hurricane Maria, the San Juan VA Medical Center — currently operating on generator power and staffed by 800 employees — is providing health care for 338 inpatients, with primary care and mental health services available for walk-in patients.