The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with the Defense Department to increase outpatient surgical care for 37,000 veterans in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Under the agreement, veterans can now seek outpatient surgeries at a new local VA clinic located in the Defense Department's Naval Hospital Pensacola (Fla.).
The partnership allows veterans to receive ambulatory surgical care from VA clinicians stationed at the Naval center, according to an Oct. 19 press release from the American Legion. Previously, veterans in the region had to travel long distances for outpatient surgical procedures.
The VA plans to expand surgery access at the facility, adding orthopedics; ear, nose, and throat; podiatry; ophthalmology; and urology.
In addition to expanding its Defense Department partnership, the VA recently reached agreements with Stanford (Calif.) University and Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine to expand access to care nationwide.