ASA Encourages Members to Speak About Protecting Patient Safety in VA Town Halls

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald has directed all VA facilities to hold at least one town hall event by the end of September in an effort to better engage with Veterans. These town halls come amid continued investigations into misconduct and medical care delays, including secret wait lists. In response, Congress passed VA reform legislation that provided additional funding for VA and aimed to increase access to care. 

Every VA medical center and regional office will be holding at least one town hall meeting with Veterans, family members, and other community partners. This is a great opportunity for members of ASA to express their concerns about the proposed VHA Nursing Handbook, which threatens patient safety by removing physicians from Veterans’ anesthesia care. ASA strongly encourages members to monitor local facilities for town hall announcements and to share their grave concerns with VA officials about the handbook.

ASA has also compiled helpful information on the proposed Handbook including:

•          ASA's one-page document on the proposed VHA Nursing Handbook
•          FAQ document on the Handbook
•          Stop the Line memo
•          Letter from Chiefs of Anesthesiology to VA

This includes talking points and supporting documents about how protecting physician-led anesthesia care offers our Veteran’s the best medical care. Please contact Amanda Cate at (202) 289-2222 or [email protected] with any questions about these materials or the VA town halls.