VA clinic blames growth for rash of veterans' complaints

The Las Vegas Veterans Affairs office is blaming Southern Nevada's population explosion and not poor management for problems at the A.D. Guy Ambulatory Care Center.

Lisa Howard, public affairs officer for the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, said 986 patients were served in October at the clinic, compared to 500 during the same month in 1997.

Howard noted the increase, which she said is remaining consistent, in response to criticism of the clinic delivered Thursday by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

During a press conference, the senator revealed excerpts from a pending General Accounting Office report. He said the following eight allegations are being investigated at the 1700 Vegas Drive clinic:

"Some of the things I heard him talk about had been taken care of a long time ago," Howard said. "Most of these complaints are not factual, or half truths. These are growth issues."

Reid said he personally contacted Togo West, secretary of the VA in Washington, D.C., about resolving problems at the clinic. He said he urged the secretary to get personally involved.

"These problems won't go away unless we do something about them," Reid said.

Charles Campbell, 65, told the senator that he is a diabetic and needed to see a nutritionist. He said it took 10 months to get an appointment through the VA clinic.

Bill Brzezinski said veterans in Southern Nevada are getting shortchanged because the federal money allocated to Las Vegas comes through the Southern California office. Veterans in California, Brzezinski said, get $4,400 a year in medical care, while their counterparts in Las Vegas are only paid $2,102.

Reid said approximately 40 individuals have been interviewed so far for the interim report. He said he expects a final version of the report to be released in two months.

"We have spent millions of dollars to build, staff and equip this facility with all the necessary tools," Reid said. "There is no reason that we should not provide our veterans with the highest possible level of care."

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