UPDATE - There's a meeting tonight from 6-9:30 PM at the New York Marriot (333 Adams St., Brooklyn, NY).
This is an issue as to how we treat veterans ... literally treat them. For years, the Manhattan VA has served as a healthcare center for NYC area men and women who served this country bravely. Yes, there is a Brooklyn VA and a Bronx VA, etc., but they have different services.
Moreover, the Manhattan VA is still FULL of vets of Desert Storm, Vietnam, Korea, and WWII. And the vets will keep coming. In my non-secret identity as a medical student, I've done several rotations at the VA, and I've now met two veterans of IraqII and two from Afghanistan.
Whether you agree with the wars or not, this is about rewarding service. These people signed up, expecting certain things in return. They realize they sometimes have to wait when services are overwhelmed; they realize that they have to tolerate NYU students learning medicine, neurology, psychiatry, etc. as part of their care. But they get NYU academic faculty as part of the deal. And the services are only slightly overwhelmed ... most of the time.
If the Manhattan VA closes, that changes. A major research and health care facility serving veterans is shuttered. These men and women will have to seek care in an even more overwhelmed regional system. Some of them can barely get to the Manhattan VA from their homes. And there are plenty of veterans in Manhattan, and not just in Harlem and Washington Heights. Don't be fooled by your expectations. New Yorkers are patriots, and they continue to serve. The Bush administration is counting on your thinking otherwise. They are counting on you to ignore these veterans, and ignore the debt we owe them.
So, what can you do? Write to the VA and protest this outrage. This is the THIRD time the administration has tried to shut down the Manhattan VA. And there are no comprehensive plans to fold existing services into the other hospitals.
Disclosure: I had intended to do research and my sub-internship at the Manhattan VA. But ... I signed up for those assignments, because I believe we owe these people as much care as possible. I enjoy it, because although I try to get enthusiastic about every patient's care ... it's easier for me when I feel it's patriotic. I'm completely serious.
These people respond if you send snail mail.
So do it.
Dept. of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave NW
Washington , DC 20420
And please recommend this diary to keep it up there.