Season's Greetings from the Network Director!
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On behalf of the more than 13,000 VISN 4 employees who embody VA's core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence—I CARE—it's my privilege to wish you a happy, and healthy, holiday season.
2012 was, in almost every way, a great year for VISN 4. I am proud of our spirit of openness and transparency when we search for, find, and correct situations that are not up to our standards or expectations.
I'm also very proud of our amazing accomplishments as a Network. And whether you are a VISN 4 employee, a Veteran, a family member, or a member of the communities in which we live and work, I'm very proud of you--for all you have done for our patients, our network, and our Nation.
As we near the end of 2012, let me share some thoughts about our progress in the past year, and highlight a few of our monumental accomplishments.
Throughout the year, we emphasized our recovery-oriented approach to mental health care for Veterans. We believe that mental illness should not be the center of any Veteran's world—and that illnesses such as PTSD and depression can be successfully treated.
We distributed a series of public service announcements inviting Veterans and their families to take advantage of the benefits a grateful nation offers in return for their service and sacrifices. They were aimed especially at returning Veterans, particularly those with mental health issues. I hope you've seen them.
In 2012, each of our ten hospitals maintained their Joint Commission accreditation, and two—Erie and Wilmington—were recognized as top performers among all the Nation's health care facilities.
Our network ranked among the top five VISN's in the nation in nearly all measures of inpatient and outpatient perceptions of care.
And we are leaders in adopting VA's Patient Aligned Care Team, or PACT, model. The PACT model allows us to provide accessible, coordinated, comprehensive, patient-centered care through active communication and better coordination of health care services.
We're also improving care, and access to care, throughout our system. We've made great strides in the areas of Telehealth, women and minority veterans' care, and health care quality. And our business processes and ability to conduct timely, high quality compensation and pension exams are second to none in VA.
This year, VISN 4 continued our construction program to enable Veterans to receive their health care in facilities worthy of their contributions to our Nation. Through new construction and equipment; renovation of existing buildings; and other projects, we are providing more and better service throughout our network.
Everything we do is for a purpose and a reason. Our overall intent is to be proactive, and to strategically position ourselves to continue to provide our Veterans with the best possible care—not only for the Veterans we now serve, but also for many generations to come.
This year, I visited each of our hospitals and many of our outpatient clinics. Everywhere I went, I concluded that what makes us so special are the people of VISN 4. I deeply appreciate what every Network employee, and every family caregiver, has done for Veterans—and what every Veteran has done for America.
May the coming year bring each of us the health, optimism, and renewed spirit of unity and community we will need to face the challenges 2013 will surely bring.
Thank you all for watching, and for your interest in our Network. I wish you a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy New Year!
Michael E. Moreland, FACHE
Network Director
VA Healthcare-VISN 4
