In her letter, ”Not isolated cases” (June 17), Patti Tyrell Duniec comments that ”Hines Hospital is a disgrace,” and gives no basis for this statement. Could it be she is comparing Hines to many of the plush, private-sector hospitals in the Chicago area?
As a government-run organization, we`re on a budget. Critics of the VA may not realize that as the economy worsens and equipment costs rise, the budget gets no increase to compensate for this. Our patient load is ever-increasing.
The majority of our patients are seriously ill and also at or past retirement age. Private-sector hospitals stabilize their conditions and send them here for treatment. Obviously, we`re going to have a slightly higher mortality rate dealing with these types of patients.
I have been at Hines VA Hospital since September 1988, two years as a student and almost two years as an employee. I didn`t stay for the money; I stayed because I believe I`m doing a good thing helping the men and women who gave of themselves to protect our country. I believe they deserve the best they can get and I believe the majority of VA employees agree.
Let`s get our elected officials off the fat wallets and let them know our veterans need help.
