Sunday, June 29, 2014

Ding, Dong, It's not Avon

"Anybody home?" Our family came in the back door, filled with hugs, smiles and bearing gifts from Michigan. What joy; it has been too long. Our sixteen year old grandson has sprouted taller than the weeds and flowers in the garden. He is now taller than both of his parents. Our granddaughter is shooting up....too fast, too soon. What happened when we weren't looking? Childhood is over in the blink of an eye. Both of the grandchildren are too big for stories sitting on Grandma's lap. But there is pride in seeing how much each has grown and blossomed and wonderment in what the future holds for them both.

The telephone rings. It is a long-time friend calling from the Cities, checking in before his long trip to visit us and the beautiful Black Hills. We have much catching up to do. The time will be too short with too much to share. He will be arriving the day after our children leave for home.

Ding, dong! Our family had no sooner gone out our back door for the evening when another friend rang our front door. She stopped to say her good-byes. Again our times for sharing have been too short and too few. She left with promises to visit us again in three months.

Friends and family come in the back door and the front. Other connect by telephone or emails. Life flies by, and the connections, if by phone, mail or in person are treasured. The warmth that flows through these renewals with those of importance in who we were, are and continue to be, can never be diminished. Each who have touched our lives, enrich and energize us, and help us to be the best we can be.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Ah......Summer!

The news blares: insurgents, kidnappings, terrorists, uprisings, tornadoes, floods! The list goes on and on, making us grateful to live in our sheltered valley in the southern Black Hills. We are having more rain than usual, including an occasional hail onslaught, but we do live in "fire country" and are thankful for the moisture.

Otherwise we are having an influx of tourists, an increase of open businesses, warmer weather (finally), festivals and commemorations, Miss South Dakota Pageant with a group of eager, talented lovely young women riding in a parade and singing, dancing and performing their way toward possible fame and a scholarship.

Life is good in our peaceful community. The vegetation is lush and greener than the norm. The roses color our world in their vibrant yellows, pinks, reds and whites.Visitors drop in during these months bringing excitement, news and the warmth of their company. All of this follows an unusually cold, long winter. Yes, the winter and cooler spring did seem long. This summer will fly by, leaving colorful memories to brighten the grayer months to follow. It is good to remember that we might not appreciate summer if it remained all year.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

David vs Goliath

They call them "scoping" meetings. The Environmental Impact Study (EIS) has arrived in our area to listen to the concerns of the veterans and the public about the announced closure of our rural Hot Springs VA.

My husband and I attended two of the meetings that were held in Hot Springs. I do not have the words to express my sentiments about the heart-felt testimonials I heard from veterans who use this VA, from former employees, from business owners in the community and from ordinary citizens who care about our veterans.

The strong attachment that our veterans have for this warm, healing VA was stated over and over, along with resentment over the gradual loss of services in the grand government scheme to force many veterans into privatization of their health care.

Emotions ran strong, especially those of anger at the management who are responsible for the cutting of benefits, but who, at the same time, profit from their bonuses. The regular veterans are losing every day, while the management pocket profits. Go figure!

One of the former employees, a radiologist, testified as to all of the services that have been lost over the past fifteen years since the grand plan for closures of our VA and the one at Fort Meade, began. After he listed surgery, cardio care and rehab, he dropped a bombshell. He said that after he was fired they hired a part-time radiologist. The VA knew for a year that that employee was dying, but made no attempt to hire another in his place. After he died a lab assistant read the x-rays, and the services gradually deteriorated to the diagnostic services being served by an employee in the dietetic field!

The words poured out from those who are being denied services. Their concern is not only for themselves but for those who will need health care in the future. Citizens from the community worry about their taxes, loss of businesses, loss of services from the police and fire departments at the VA, with a subsequent rise in insurance rates and loss of students and revenue for the school district.

This VA is not only a National Treasure, but it is a living organism that is the heart and soul of this community, as well as of the veterans who drive the distance to receive the special care given to veterans, along with all of the veterans who live and work here. These veterans who have chosen to make their homes in Hot Springs have become a part of a city that for over a hundred years has been known as The Veterans Town. This town is a home for the veterans. The VA is also a home for the veterans who continue to use its services. PTSD is not a disease that gets cured. It is a lifetime issue, along with substance abuse. This VA helps the veterans to manage their illnesses. It is a lifeline for many to be able to live and be contributing members of society.

We can only hope that those powers-that-be who serve in Washington will realize the importance of our VA and other smaller VA facilities that can best meet the needs of those who served and those who will be serving in the future.

Another hope is that if they discontinue the cuts to veteran benefits, we may have enough young men and women who will continue to serve our country and keep our military strong.

"If we send them, we must mend them."

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Our Time Has Come

It began in December, 2011....the battle of our community and our veterans to save our VA hospital from being cut by the VA administration in Washington. This week of June, 2014 we face off with the EIS (Environmental Impact Study) in an effort, both written and verbal, to challenge the proposed closure of not only the largest employer of our area, but a facility long-established as one of the foremost treatment centers in our country for veterans with PTSD and other emotional issues common to veterans, located in a peaceful environment conducive to long-term recovery. Our town of Hot Springs is a haven for many veterans who, after treatment in our Domiciliary, choose to abandon the cities and remain here as contributing members of our society.

For any readers who challenge my previous blog, I invite them to check out for themselves outside surveys done for accreditation on our hospital. One is JACHO and the other is CARF. Both give glowing reviews to our VA. In September, 2012, our Black Hills Health Care System was "awarded full accreditation by CARF for its residential and outpatient programs related to homelessness and employment services, addiction treatment and PTSD programming. This is the fifth time Mental Health services has been awarded CARF certification for Residential Programming." It continues, "Not only did these programs pass the survey with no noted deficiencies, several best practices were noted." Later, "The services, personnel and documentation reviewed clearly indicated an established pattern of practice excellence and programs of the highest quality."

All of this was documented in a survey taken many years into the numerous cuts in services made to our VA. I have written all of this is my book Reveille in Hot Springs. The book is available on Amazon for any interested enough in our veterans and their care. Readers can listen to our veterans by reading their testimonies. If the VA administration had listened to the voices of their veterans, they would not be in the mess they are in at the present time. Listening to only the upper management in any industry only leads to self-serving in the long run. All veterans need to care about the needs of all veterans. Some can use medical treatment available at any hospital. Others need a rural VA.

Our community listened to the needs of its veterans who use and need this VA. After listening to veterans for over two years, we believe them. We also heard the lies of management. Perhaps if our country and our representatives had listened to veterans years ago who need the services that only a VA facility is able to provide for many who served, our VA would be thriving and would have the personnel to treat all the homeless and emotionally disabled veterans who show up at its front door.

This week we appear before the EIS. They will present their findings to the VA administration in Washington. The head of the VA will consider their study, the proposal for closure by the VA and the proposal by the veterans and citizens of Hot Springs. What will be the results? Will they favor management or the wishes of the veterans who have special needs best met in VA facilities such as our serene sandstone Dom on the top of the hill in the midst of the healing Black Hills of South Dakota?


Sunday, June 1, 2014

Up and Running

Hey, all you blog readers....my web site is out there.....somewhere. (The internet is still a mystery to this luddite), but I am sure many of you can discover it if you go to http://sbpra.com/maryegoulet/ Check it out and let me know what you think. I am always open to suggestions.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Back to Top