Carthage hospital to continue VA care

WEST CARTHAGE — Medical services for veterans will continue to be provided here until a new Watertown clinic is opened in February, a spokesman for the Syracuse VA Medical Center said Tuesday after meeting with Carthage Area Hospital officials to forge an interim agreement.

"It will be business as usual," said Richard G. Kazel, manager of medical and surgical services for the Syracuse VA hospital.

The agreement, though not yet formalized Tuesday afternoon, should put to rest any patient anxieties over a potential gap in services in Jefferson County as a contract to operate the clinic changes hands, Mr. Kazel said.

Carthage Area Hospital Administrator Walter S. Becker did not return repeated calls Tuesday seeking his confirmation of the deal.

Carthage's existing legal agreement with Veterans Affairs to operate the clinic runs out Monday; Valor Healthcare, Inc., is slated to open a veterans outpatient clinic Feb. 15 in Watertown.

Letters will go out today to all veterans enrolled in care at the West Carthage VA clinic, Mr. Kazel said. The mailing will give information about the clinic's move to Watertown and how it will affect patients. A phone number will be provided for more information or to ask questions about the service change.

The hospital has been assuring its VA clinic employees they will not lose their jobs. Immediately upon announcing the clinic change, Mr. Becker said the space would be converted to a primary care facility and all employees would be retained.

Losing the contract for the clinic came as a shock, Mr. Becker said, but he added, "We always were prepared," for that possibility.

The hospital has operated the clinic on three-month extensions on its original 2003 contract since 2006. Given a primary care provider shortage in the area, hospital officials planned ahead to keep the clinic's medical staff on board even if the clinic closed, Mr. Becker said.

Clinic receptionist Kristine L. Augustine said Monday that a more convenient VA clinic location and a new primary care facility in West Carthage are both positive outcomes from the change — but it will still be hard to get used to.

"We've gotten to know the patients and they've gotten to know us. Some of them will come in and give you a big hug. They're so used to our doctors, and you're putting them into a new system with new providers."

But Mr. Becker isn't giving up the clinic without a fight. After he reached out to north country lawmakers with allegations of an unfair bidding process and problems with care and billing at other Valor Healthcare VA clinic locations, Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten D. Gillibrand's office called on VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to launch a "thorough review" of the matter. The letter also was signed by fellow Democratic lawmakers U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Rep. William L. Owens, Plattsburgh.

PATIENTS REACT

At the clinic Monday, patients' reactions to the changes were mixed. Approaching the check-in desk, David S. Hess's first words were not about his upcoming appointment.

"I can't believe they're doing that to this place. It's not the trip to Watertown or anything. It's just you get such good care here," Mr. Hess said.

Mr. Hess joined the Marine Corps in 1980. He has used the West Carthage clinic for almost a year, and said he has never received better care with the VA.

"I've got the best doctor you could have. He really cares about how you're doing."

Mr. Hess's care provider, Christopher P. Grudowski, said he is "disappointed" in the relocation of VA services.

"I'm a veteran, too, and my health care has now moved and I have to go through everything the patients are going through. ... They don't want to see another provider. They've established a relationship with a provider at this facility, and to go through that again is hard for some patients, especially those that are older or frail."

Brian J. Countryman was less concerned about the change. He lives in Chaumont, and the Watertown location is more convenient for him.

"It used to be in Watertown originally anyway," he said. "If they stay here, it doesn't really make a difference, either. As long as I get free medical."