VA Treatment Centers
There was a time that the VA Health Care System in America was considered subpar, particularly when it came to handling cancers like mesothelioma. That isn't true anymore.
Veterans account for a disproportionate amount of people who are stricken with mesothelioma an estimated 30 percent of all cases - and that amount is traced to exposure to asbestos, once widely used in all branches of the military.
"I don't think anyone in the military knowingly put those serving at risk for mesothelioma," said Abraham "Avi" Lebenthal, M.D., thoracic surgeon at the Boston VA System. "But there is an obligation now to provide the best care for those men and women who were exposed."
The VA System has more than 1,400 treatment sites nationwide. As in the private sector, some facilities are better than others. Some specialize in dealing with particular issues, and some are not always equipped to handle rare cancers like mesothelioma.
"In the early '70s, the VA health care was probably in the bottom tier of the class," Lebenthal said. "But today it's in the top tier and continuing to improve. Overall, it's more scrutinized, with more checks and balances, than in the private sector. And that helps make the VA health system so much better than it was."
Here are five quality VA Healthcare Systems that many doctors maintain provide the same quality of care and treatment as any facilities in the private sector. Some of these facilities are well-equipped to treat veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases. Others are not considered mesothelioma centers but provide excellent quality care, particularly in the area of overall cancer treatment.
It is important for veterans to know that if they are in the VA system, they have an option of receiving care at any facility, particularly for rare diseases like mesothelioma that are difficult to treat.
VA Boston Healthcare System
- Name: VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plains Div
- Address: Morphotek
- Phone: 800-865-3384
The proximity to the nearby International Mesothelioma Program makes this the most high-profile VA facility in the country when it comes to treating the cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
The recent addition of Abraham "Avi" Lebenthal, a surgeon who specializes in mesothelioma and also works at Brigham and Women's Hospital, has helped to attract veterans from across the country.
The system encompasses three campuses and six community outpatient clinics that blanket the Boston area. There is a Jamaica Plain campus, a West Roxbury campus and a Brockton campus.
The Boston VA also serves as a national Research and Development Center and a teaching facility for both the Harvard Medical School and Boston University Medical School, offering specialized training and state-of-the-art technology. In 2006, it received approval from the College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Accreditation.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Name: W Los Angeles Medical Center
- Address: West Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif. 90073
- Phone: 310-478-3711
Surgeon Robert Cameron, M.D., who also is the director of the Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program at UCLA, has attracted attention internationally. Cameron serves as the chief of thoracic Surgery at the West Los Angeles Medical Center, the flagship of this VA system. He has been a pioneer in using the successful lung-sparing Pleurectomy/Decortication surgical procedure with mesothelioma patients.
The Los Angeles System is the largest, most complex in the Department of Veteran Affairs, serving 1.4 million veterans in the area. It consists of three ambulatory care centers, a tertiary care facility and 10 community-based outpatient clinics, covering a five-county area.
Inpatient care is available in neurology, psychiatry, medicine, surgery and rehabilitation. There is a Cancer Research Center headed by James Tomlinson, M.D., that offers a wide variety of clinical trials. It is affiliated with both the UCLA and USC Schools of Medicine.
In addition, the Los Angeles VA system offers services that cover Spinal Cord Injuries, Parkinson's Disease, Women's Health, Specialty Care, and Mental Health.
Miami VA Healthcare System
- Name: Bruce Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Address: 1201 N.W. 16th St. Miami, FL 33125
- Phone: 888-276-1785
This System serves three South Florida counties that include a veteran population estimated at 285,000. Open since 1968, the Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center provides general, medical, surgical, and psychiatric services.
It also has the experience of thoracic surgeon Dao Nguyen, a research leader in targeting molecular therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Nguyen splits time between the VA and the acclaimed Sylvester Cancer Center.
The VA operates 191 hospital beds at the Center, including 34 in Intermediate Care, five in Neurology, 82 in Medical, six in Rehabilitation, 30 in Surgical and 36 in Spinal Cord Injury. There also is a 120-bed Nursing Home Care Unit and 58 beds in Psychiatry.
Less than a mile away from the main Center is a Healthcare for Homeless Veterans and a Substance Abuse Clinic, helping to prevent any veterans from falling through the cracks of the health care system.
Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center-Houston
- Name: Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center
- Address: 2002 Holcombe Blvd. Houston, TX 77030
- Phone: 800-553-2278
There are more than 3,500 health care professionals at the VA Medical Center in Houston, allowing it to attract patients from around the country for specialized diagnostic care in cardiovascular surgery, ophthalmology, gastrointestinal endoscopy and treatment of spinal cord injury.
There also are 120,000 veterans in Southeast Texas that rely on the DeBakey Center for their primary health-care needs, and they are provided for in top-flight fashion. Many of the programs here have received national honors for long-term care, substance abuse and behavioral health care. The Center has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services.
The Center is home to a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic, a Cardiac and General Surgery Program, an Epilepsy and Cancer Center, a Substance Abuse Disorder Quality Enhancement Research initiative and a Liver Transplant Center.
A majority of the staff at the Medical Center also serve as faulty members at the Baylor College of Medicine, its longtime affiliate. It also has a 259-slot residency program, the largest in the VA system.
The MDVAMD is located on a 118-acre campus and include 386 hospital beds, including a 120-bed transitional unit for long-term care.
Atlanta VA Medical Center
- Name: Atlanta VA Medical Center
- Address: 1670 Clairmont Rd. Decatur, GA 30033
- Phone: 404-321-6111
Only 14 percent of U.S. hospitals earn the distinction of being a top performer from the Joint Commission, leading accreditor of health-care organizations in America. And the Atlanta VA Medical Center was one of those for 2011.
The vision of the Atlanta VA is to be a comprehensive provider, recognized nationally for its excellence in veteran health care, which was affirmed by the Joint Commission. Affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine, and the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Atlanta VA also is a teaching hospital, allowing it to use state-of-the-art technology to provide a full-range of patient care services.
Included in the Atlanta VA system are 179 hospital beds. The system admitted 6,466 patients and handled 861,325 on an out-patient basis in 2010. In addition to the Medical Center, the Atlanta VA also oversees eight community-based outpatient clinics, along with an outreach clinic in nearby Rome, Georgia.
It has an extensive research program run primarily by VA scientists and doctors on staff at Emory, giving it quick access to the latest breakthroughs in healthcare. Atlanta VA also includes one of the nation's Rehabilitation Research Centers of Excellence and research projects that cover everything from low vision and disequilibrium in the elderly to kidney mechanisms of hypertension. They have experienced specialists in myriad of diseases, including Alzheimer's and Endocrinology.
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Last Modified Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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