August 7, 2019 3:35 a.m.
Congressman Peter DeFazio is pushing back against an announced timeline for closing the Emergency Department of the Roseburg VA Medical Center and converting the facility to an Urgent Care Clinic as soon as August 16^th.
A release from DeFazio said he has sent a letter expressing his concerns to VA Roseburg Healthcare System Director Keith Allen.
DeFazio said “the decision to cease preparations and move forward abruptly with this plan is an alarming departure from what you have communicated to veterans, my office and the local media”. DeFazio said it is difficult to understand why Allen has abandoned the initial plan to provide a “thoughtful and deliberate process that addressed the issues raised by veterans and other stakeholders”.
The release said that VARHS leadership had previously communicated that the conversion process would take months, likely through the end of 2019. DeFazio said Allen’s recent media comments also assured veterans and community stakeholders that the process would be “fair and honest”.
In the letter, DeFazio asked Director Allen to explain the rationale behind this decision and to provide information about how high-quality care for veterans will be maintained at both the new Urgent Care clinic as well as community hospitals.
To view a PDF version of the letter go to this link: https://defazio.house.gov/sites/defazio.house.gov/files/Rep.%20DeFazio%20ltr%20to%20Dir%20Allen%20re%20VARHS%20ED%20Announcement.pdf