Veterans concerned about resignation of ER doctors from Harlingen hospital

HARLINGEN — The recent resignation of 16 emergency room doctors from Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen has some Valley veterans worried — and renewing their call for a veterans hospital to be built here.

America’s Last Patrol of the Rio Grande Valley, a veterans group, released a statement Wednesday saying its members were “very concerned” about the recent events at Valley Baptist. The veterans specialty clinic in Harlingen frequently refers veterans to Valley Baptist’s emergency room when they need urgent care, said Jose Maria Vasquez, commander of America’s Last Patrol.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced last month that it proposes to build a $100 million specialty-care center for Valley veterans, but would contract with other providers like Valley Baptist for inpatient care.

“These are the obstacles we face with contracts,” Vasquez said. “If we had a veterans hospital, we wouldn’t have (staffing problems).”

Veterans are concerned that, once the doctors’ resignation goes into effect in December, the emergency department will be understaffed and unable to attend to veterans’ particular needs, the veterans group said.

“We have unique problems,” Vasquez said, including post-traumatic stress disorder or Agent Orange exposure. “A doctor who treats veterans and knows these illnesses will know what to do. … If you go to a regular hospital, it’s not the same as a veterans hospital.”

Valley Baptist spokeswoman Teri Retana said the ER doctors’ resignation would not disrupt emergency room services. Veterans also would continue to receive the care they need, she said.

“Valley Baptist has provided inpatient and outpatient care to veterans for years now, and we will continue to provide those services,” Retana said.

Veterans had mixed reactions to the VA’s announcement in August that it would build an expanded outpatient facility. Some said it was a needed first step toward meeting veterans’ health care needs, but others said they still wanted a veterans hospital to be built in this region.

The nearest VA hospital, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, is about 230 miles away in San Antonio.

VA officials said last month that the new specialty center would offer the services Valley veterans need most, according to a study of South Texas veterans’ health care concerns. Those services include audiology, psychiatry, neurology, outpatient surgery and oncology, officials said.

Most veterans who travel to Audie L. Murphy go there for specialty care, not inpatient treatment, officials said.

Vasquez and other veterans remain unconvinced that the specialty center is sufficient to meet veterans’ health needs.

“We deserve a hospital, and we’re fighting for it,” Vasquez said.