Wounds of war : how the VA delivers health, healing, and hope to the nation's veterans /
Suzanne Gordon.
- Ithaca, New York : ILR Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press, (c)2018.
- 1 online resource.
- The culture and politics of health care work .
Includes bibliographies and index.
Introduction : what kind of care for veterans? -- Promises broken and kept : a short history of the VHA -- Those who have borne the battle : the VHA's patient population -- Profile : what it means to be a VHA volunteer -- Primary care the way it should be -- Healing minds and bodies : integrated mental health care and primary care -- Dealing with a world of hurt : VHA treatment of chronic pain -- When wounded warriors are women : caring for female veterans -- Mental health the way it should be -- Unpacking PTSD : from diagnosis to effective treatment -- Profile : Karen Parko : a special kind of professional development at the VA -- Returning to civilian life : veterans on campus -- Suicide prevention : VA programs that save lives -- Overcoming disability : VA rehabilitation services -- Transcending trauma : the Martinez cognitive rehabilitation program -- Off the streets : reducing veteran homelessness -- Alternatives to jail : veterans justice programs -- Profile : cops and vets : the Memphis crisis intervention model -- Specializing in elder care : the VA and geriatrics -- Knocking on heaven's door : the VA and end-of-life care -- Better care where? The VHA compared to the private sector -- Conclusion : a system worth saving and making even better.
"The book looks at the largest hospital system in the country, the Veterans Healthcare Administration--one that has come under fire from critics in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in the nation's media. The author spent five years closely observing the VHA's treatment of patients suffering from service related injuries, physical and mental. This book describes how the VHA, tasked with a challenging patient population, does a better job than private sector institutions offering primary and geriatric care, mental health and home care services, and support for patients nearing the end of life. It explores how the resulting public debate about the future of veterans' health care has pitted VHA patients and their care-givers against politicians and policy-makers who believe that former military personnel would be better served by private health care providers"--