Issue Position: Veterans' Issues - The VA Palo Alto Health Care System

Issue Position

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System is a major tertiary care referral center, providing primary, secondary and tertiary care within a large geographical region encompassing a 10 county, 13,500 square mile area, serving approximately 350,000 veterans. The VA Palo Alto hospital is one of only four traumatic brain injury units operated by the VA in the United States and receives referrals from the entire West Coast and as far away as Texas. At any one time there are from 6-12 patients who are undergoing extensive rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury, or TBI, a wound that occurs in more than 60% of veterans who incur impact injuries in Iraq. These servicemen and women come to the VA after receiving their acute care at Walter Reed, Bethesda or other DoD medical facilities. At the VA Palo Alto hospital, they spend hard months in rehabilitation, fighting daily to get their lives back.

Soldiers and Marines often arrive at the VA Palo Alto hospital unable to walk, talk or even perform basic bodily functions. The dedicated team of therapists, doctors, nurses and other caregivers, in conjunction with the amazing attitudes of the men and women themselves, do perform daily miracles.

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