Orlando VAMC Leaders Sign Pledge

Improving access to health care is the organizational priority of the Veterans Health Administration. Recently the Orlando VA Medical Center (VAMC) joined with other VA medical centers across America to sign a VA declaration to increase veterans’ access to healthcare. The pledge is a promise to focus business and service functions and principles on providing the greatest access to healthcare possible.

Timothy W. Liezert, the director of the VAMC, led a supervisor’s meeting on April 20 to discuss the principles. Following, Orlando VAMC leaders signed the MyVA Access Declaration.

In April, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ top health care official, Dr. David J. Shulkin, undersecretary for health, announced progress and new steps the VA was taking to improve Veterans access to health care. During the briefing, Shulkin‎ discussed a new initiative, MyVA Access. The initiative ensures that the entire VA health care system is engaged in the transformation of VA into a veteran-centered service organization, incorporating aspirational goals such as same day access to mental health and primary care services for veterans when it is medically necessary.

“We are working to rebuild the trust of the American public and more importantly the trust of the veterans whom we are proud to serve,” said Shulkin. “We are taking action and are seeing the results. We are serious about our work to improve access to health care for our nation’s veterans. We want them to know that this is a new VA.”