We've followed the Fort Wayne VA Hospital bringing back inpatient care.
Now, they've announced a plan to expand mental health services.
The VA is moving all mental health services out of the hospital, and into a new outpatient clinic.
It'll go in here- inside the old Parkview Cancer Center, next to the hospital on Randalia, and down the block from the VA.
Officials say it's a direct response to veterans concerns.
"The veterans have been asking for more outpatient services and mental health services are difficult to find. There's not that many providers of those services," Parkview Hospital President Sue Ehinger says.
"This has been in the works for some time, but it will be the answer to that," says VA Northern Indiana Health Care Services Director Denise Deitzen.
The VA is leasing this building for the next twenty years from Parkview, who is giving the VA $5 million for renovation costs.
Deitzen says moving mental health services to the new building frees up space to expand primary care services.
Congressman Marlin Stutzman says he's supportive of collaborations between private companies and the government.
"I hope that this is a model that the VA will use for other locations, and that we'll have good results from all of this," Stutzman says.
Much of the VA's inpatient care that abruptly stopped in October is now back up and running.
And they're in the final stage of bringing back inpatient care.
Deitzen says they're ahead of schedule.
Phase two finished at the end of February.
"We've started seeing patients again with our chemo-therapeutic infusions and our blood transfusions and now we've expanded it to basic inpatient medical care," Deitzen says.
She says moving mental health care to the new facility means they can expand primary care, and it also frees up space for inpatient services- taking the strain off staff.
"I think most of what was there before would still be there. We will continue to have veterans that will be seen in the community when they come in, just like we had before the pause," Deitzen says.
Stutzman sat on the Veteran's Board in Washington--
And helped bring the hospital back up to speed.
"When the VA closed some of their wings down, it was in relation to staffing issues... Several folks had quit abruptly, were retiring, and we weren't happy with how that all played out," Stutzman says.
Dietzen says they don't have a timeline for when services are fully restored.
Now, they've announced a plan to expand mental health services.
The VA is moving all mental health services out of the hospital, and into a new outpatient clinic.
It'll go in here- inside the old Parkview Cancer Center, next to the hospital on Randalia, and down the block from the VA.
Officials say it's a direct response to veterans concerns.
"The veterans have been asking for more outpatient services and mental health services are difficult to find. There's not that many providers of those services," Parkview Hospital President Sue Ehinger says.
"This has been in the works for some time, but it will be the answer to that," says VA Northern Indiana Health Care Services Director Denise Deitzen.
The VA is leasing this building for the next twenty years from Parkview, who is giving the VA $5 million for renovation costs.
Deitzen says moving mental health services to the new building frees up space to expand primary care services.
Congressman Marlin Stutzman says he's supportive of collaborations between private companies and the government.
"I hope that this is a model that the VA will use for other locations, and that we'll have good results from all of this," Stutzman says.
Much of the VA's inpatient care that abruptly stopped in October is now back up and running.
And they're in the final stage of bringing back inpatient care.
Deitzen says they're ahead of schedule.
Phase two finished at the end of February.
"We've started seeing patients again with our chemo-therapeutic infusions and our blood transfusions and now we've expanded it to basic inpatient medical care," Deitzen says.
She says moving mental health care to the new facility means they can expand primary care, and it also frees up space for inpatient services- taking the strain off staff.
"I think most of what was there before would still be there. We will continue to have veterans that will be seen in the community when they come in, just like we had before the pause," Deitzen says.
Stutzman sat on the Veteran's Board in Washington--
And helped bring the hospital back up to speed.
"When the VA closed some of their wings down, it was in relation to staffing issues... Several folks had quit abruptly, were retiring, and we weren't happy with how that all played out," Stutzman says.
Dietzen says they don't have a timeline for when services are fully restored.
