A Physician Serving Veterans Discusses the Specialized Care They Need

Veterans For Hillary
VetFam Comms
Published in
3 min readOct 26, 2016

By Raul Perea-Henze

In the decades I’ve worked on health policy, my focus has been on the vital issues affecting both veterans and the Hispanic community I proudly represent. During my time as the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning at the Department of Veterans Affairs, I learned just how much these communities have in common. Both groups face significant problems with access to care and a lack of culturally competent providers who understand the populations they serve. Capacity is also often inadequate to meet these communities’ needs.

Access to care means more than proximity to a VA facility. The specialized needs of veterans include care for service-related mental health conditions such as traumatic brain injury and PTSD, as well as access to orthopedic and prosthetic specialists. The VA must transform into a veteran-centric provider of service-related care, working together with community health systems to ensure that all veterans receive needed services in a timely manner. Hillary Clinton understands this, and she has made it part of her plan for improved veteran healthcare. As a Senator, she worked to establish new services for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. She fought to expand care for veterans, and to broaden protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act for the families of wounded service members.

It’s equally important that culturally competent providers offer VA services. Both the veteran and Hispanic communities instill a culture of self-reliance. Combine that with the fact that 7.3% of the American population has ever served in the military, and it’s easy to see the need for providers who understand the challenges of deployment and reintegration. They must be adept at creating a culture that allows veterans to feel comfortable seeking the help they need.

One aspect of the Choice Act of 2014 was called “Care in the Community.” Through this program, VA was able to expand its services to rural and underserved veteran populations by partnering with community healthcare organizations that specialize in outreach. The success of this initiative demonstrates the need for increased and stronger VA/community partnerships, which are a cornerstone of Hillary Clinton’s plan to better serve our veterans.

The noise and distraction of this campaign makes it possible to lose sight of the important issues at stake. But the millions of veterans who rely on the VA for timely care know what’s in the balance. After decades as a doctor and a policymaker, I, too, know how vital our efforts are.

I have worked my entire adult life on improving health care for underserved populations, for the Hispanic community, and for veterans. I am acutely aware of what we need to do to continue making progress to better serve these Americans, and I know that only one candidate understands this too. Only Hillary Clinton’s plan cuts a clear path to improve the system and create stronger partnerships with communities. She will continue the progress the VA has made in expanding access and coordinating with the Department of Defense. Most importantly, Secretary Clinton will strengthen and reform veterans’ healthcare, not privatize it.

Hillary Clinton has demonstrated her commitment to veterans through her decades of service. I know she will continue to work just as hard for them as President of the United States.

____________________________________

Raul Henze is the former Assistant Secretary for Policy at VA. A global health physician, management consultant and corporate executive, he’s committed to ensuring better healthcare for all in the US.

--

--

Veterans For Hillary
VetFam Comms

Veterans, Military Families & Defense Leaders Supporting Hillary Clinton for President in 2016.