Civilians Receiving Care in the VA During COVID-19 Outbreak

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the country, the number of patients needing hospital care is growing exponentially. 

According to The New York Times, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is expecting roughly one million veterans to be diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition, the agency must prepare for the possibility of having to treat civilian patients if hospitals in the private sector become overrun with patients. 

“During national emergencies such as the one declared by President Donald Trump… the VA not only serves 9 million veterans but also acts as a backup health care system to the broader public,” reported The New York Times. 

If the pandemic pushes private hospitals to their limits, the Department of Health and Human Services and states will ask the VA network of 170 hospitals, 1074 outpatient sites, and more than 350,000 employees to provide care to first responders and civilians in hard-hit communities. 

To gain a better understanding of how the VA health care system will make an impact on civilian patients during the current pandemic, we spoke with David Shulkin, MD, ninth secretary, US Department of Veterans Affairs, and author of It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Country. 

Dr Shulkin said:

“The fourth mission of the VA is emergency preparedness. This mission involves utilizing the extensive resources of the VA Health Care System in times of national emergencies. Title 38 statutes allow VA to treat civilians during times of emergencies and this certainly is now the case as the President has declared a national emergency. VA prepares and trains for such situations and can be of significant assistance in communities where resources in the private sector may be limited. In addition, VA has an extensive telehealth network which may be helpful to those private health care organizations that may not have a well-developed system in place.”  

“What is required in a pandemic such as this, is careful coordination of resources in a community. This would allow for VA to coordinate resources such as facility space, equipment and staff with community providers.  Since VA is the largest health system in the country and employs the most doctors and nurses of any health system, VA can make a big difference throughout the country.”