IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – In a historic site visit, U.S. VA Secretary Denis McDonough toured the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Dickinson County, lauding its outstanding performance and high veteran satisfaction scores. This is the first time since Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center was constructed in 1950 that a United States VA Secretary toured the hospital. McDonough, quoted as saying, “The veterans’ satisfaction with care at Iron Mountain, at 94.6%, exceeds the national average,” and emphasized the importance of follow-through in patient care, something he sees Iron Mountain, and the Upper Peninsula doing well.
Having taken the time to personally visit with residents in the Community Living Center, the VA Secretary reflected:
“Having spent the morning here, including just having had the chance to sit with two veterans in the Community Living Center, two amazing heroes, including an amazing soldier, Mr. Marty – a POW“ stated Secretary McDonough. He further expanded on his visit with the residents, adding
- “First of all, we’re able to have the meeting in that new facility because of the work of the delegation, senators, and Mr. Bergman.”
- “Those are amazing stories – Mr. Marty is 98 years old, and like so many of our vets, doesn’t have a lot of expectations. He doesn’t think what he did is extraordinary. Even though it quite obviously is, so what I hope to see when I meet a person like Mr. Marty is that we’re giving him what he gave the country, which is our absolute best. And his story is amazing. I also sat with the Navy Corpsman, whose name is Ken. He was at the Great Lakes Naval center down in Chicago. He went back to his barracks, and they said they needed Corpsmen to go to Vietnam. He didn’t think twice about it. Called his commander, and he said I’m ready to go. Three weeks later, he was in Vietnam. That was not the experience of everybody at that time. Not only that, he returned home and volunteered here for thousands of hours. He said the vet needs me. I’m gonna be there. We hope to live up to that standard from those two great veterans every day, and what I see today is exactly that.”
Rep Bergman also reflected on the visit to the new Community Living Center during the tour, adding, “The new facility creates the environment where our senior veterans can enjoy a comfortability of life, where they can smile and share their stories as they choose. Their worries are minimal. The people that come and go, especially the people who work here who become family in so many cases – that’s the beauty of it when you walk down into the CLC. It looks like a place where families hang out.”
Rep Bergman highlighted the collaborative efforts, stating, “When you have examples of excellence, you have to show it,” praising the dedication of VA healthcare professionals at Oscar G. Johnson VAMC. He expressed gratitude to Secretary McDonough, saying, “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Secretary, for spending the day with us.”
“A healthy lifestyle, and a healthy mind, is what leads to healthy results. What I saw here today, and I know the Secretary has – is the healthy nature of the entire facility here, and this is truly a partnership. And again I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Secretary, for spending the day with us because I am sure, when you go back to D.C., you’re going with energy to explain to some people some things. They’re going to [say] ‘I didn’t really know that existed’, and it’s a good thing, so thank you to all of you for being here. Thank you for being the example that we can proudly use across the VA enterprise, if you will – to provide better care and comfort for all of our veterans and their families.”
Discussions during the visit covered vital topics, including construction needs and addressing staffing shortages. The Secretary, referring to a new defense authorization bill, remarked, “This new law enabled by Mr. Bergman will lift that limit from $20 million to $30 million, meaning important needs for veterans in the U.P. and Northern Wisconsin are now going to be a reality.”
The annual National Defense Authorization Act, although primarily for the Department of Defense, includes provisions for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This year’s crucial provision raises the cap for minor construction from $20 million to $30 million, providing flexibility for decisions, such as improving MRI capabilities, on facility grounds. Representative Bergman emphasizes that rising building and construction costs necessitate this increase to ensure VA medical centers can adapt to necessary changes.
Representative Bergman expanded- “Construction costs are the driver here. It’s not the cost of the MRI unit, it’s the cost of the building. It’s not the cost of the people to run it, it’s the cost of the building to house it. You get my point: building and construction costs are up. In order to keep our VA medical centers, and the people who run them, in a position where they can make change that is necessary. This increase in the cap [$20 million to $30 million] gives them more latitude to make these decisions just because of increased costs.”
The VA Secretary addressed staffing shortages, like a need for more social workers and specialists, by highlighting hiring as a major priority. Additional authorities, including pay authorities granted by the PACT Act, were mentioned to enhance competitiveness with other healthcare facilities. These authorities are utilized by the Oscar G Johnson VA medical center under its new Director. The emphasis was on the importance of the VA’s dedicated healthcare professionals.
The visit aims to elevate the veteran-centered approach and positive experiences seen in Iron Mountain to other VA facilities nationwide. Representative Bergman concluded, “Thank you for being the example that we can proudly use across the VA enterprise to provide better care and comfort for all of our veterans and their families.”
Besides taking with him a Sayklly’s YOOPER bar, and some sentimental Christmas ornaments for relatives, the VA Secretary was inspired by the innovative technology seen in the Oscar G. Johnson VAMC’s Dental Clinic, saving rural dental patients multiple trips for care. The new dental technology, Secretary McDonough notes, was piloted in the Upper Peninsula, and he intends to implement it across the rest of the VA healthcare system.
After touring the Oscar G. Johnson and meeting with hospital leaders, the VA Secretary’s goals are to continue to ensure better patient experiences, and he spoke with leaders about more reliable access to broadband service to facilitate better uptake with telehealth for rural healthcare initiatives. He wants to coordinate on innovations that increase patient access to care, like his work with Dr. Turvey at a rural healthcare center based out of Iowa City with a federally qualified health center that offers care to veterans and non-veterans jointly.
The VA Secretary is prioritizing follow through to the OGJVAMC staff regarding talks of staffing the hospital with benefits administration officials for hospital patients that may have questions, or need help with accessing or understanding their benefits.
He also strongly urges veterans to apply for benefits under the PACT act, signed into law by the President more than a year ago.
The new law, known as the PACT Act, benefits Vietnam veterans by connecting hypertension (and other presumptive conditions) to Agent Orange exposure and exposure to other toxics, resulting in care and benefits for enrollees. For the 4.5 million veterans who served in Central Command, it expands authorities to connect various conditions. Over a million new claims, including thousands from Michigan and Northern Wisconsin, have been filed so far. The VA expects the number of enrollees to grow by this spring, and both the VA Secretary and Representative Bergman are urging veterans to apply for benefits at VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA-411.
Veterans are encouraged to seek assistance enrolling in PACT ACT benefits from the Michigan Department of Veteran Services or Mr. Bergman’s office.
Following the meeting, the group proceeded to the Hancock, MI, Community Based Outpatient Clinic to discuss rural healthcare further. Secretary McDonough expressed gratitude to Primary Care Section Chief Allison Helman, MD, and Primary Care Section Chief Audrey Liston, MD, presenting them with challenge coins for their dedication to ICARE values.
