Also in attendance were current and past mayors from Beavercreek, Bellbrook and Kettering; Col. Joyce Beaty, 88th Medical Group hospital administrator, and many local veterans.
Panel members heard concerns from local residents and stakeholders to better understand their needs and improve current systems. Wright-Patterson Medical Center is committed to finding new ways to expand its partnership with the Dayton VA Medical Center and better serve retired military service members.
Last year, WPMC established a VA primary care clinic for dual-eligible veterans to expand their health care options through both organizations. This is accomplished by embedded VA medical providers who work inside a WPMC clinic called the Patient Aligned Care Team.
“Increasing enrollment to the PACT is a key initiative for both the Wright-Patt Medical Center and the Dayton VA. This increased enrollment improves access to care to beneficiaries in the community while also providing them access to medical center specialty clinics and services,” Lyons said.
“Increasing VA enrollment direct referrals from VA patients in-house gives our providers and staff better access to patients needing specialty and surgical care. This provides more clinical cases (especially potentially complex cases) to improve the readiness skills of our providers.”
Other forum topics of interest included COVID-19 pandemic management, transportation services for VA beneficiaries and mental-health services availability.
“COVID-19 has brought many challenges and with it an increased focus on military physical and mental health, which is why it is a point of great concern for all of our Air Force leaders,” Lyons added.
For more information on enrollment in the VA PACT at WPMC, contact the Dayton VA at 937-268-6511, ext. 5816.
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