🔊 VA Manager Brian Dillon
AI Generated Transcript
CBOC Manager: [00:00:00] Yeah, I did not know she wasn't gonna be here today either. So unfortunately, so
Logan Martin Isaac: Uhhuh,
CBOC Manager: so sadly not her boss, and they do stuff totally different and people call out. There's nothing I can do about it. So, I mean, I don't know. We don't have anyone else to come and do it. She's literally the only person here.
Logan Martin Isaac: And that wasn't communicated across the clinic, is that correct?
CBOC Manager: Uh, I, nobody knew about it.
Logan Martin Isaac: She, the reception said it was a planned day off.
CBOC Manager: Oh, okay.
Logan Martin Isaac: Is that false?
CBOC Manager: No, I don't know that.
Logan Martin Isaac: Oh. I
CBOC Manager: wasn't
Logan Martin Isaac: sure
CBOC Manager: about that. So even
Logan Martin Isaac: you weren't communicated to
CBOC Manager: No, I did not know that. So, but there's no real way that we put it out.
I don't know if they could post a sign in the lobby, but unless you were here, like the
Logan Martin Isaac: lobby, you can't say walk-ins. Only walk-ins. And then one day randomly, or not randomly, you don't accept walk-ins. And if you have access to my messaging or my care team does, you'll know that this has legal significance.
I was arrested a week ago and I asked for imaging. I want to say. On the [00:01:00] third or something. Fourth.
CBOC Manager: Mm-hmm.
Logan Martin Isaac: So in the meantime, what may have happened may have healed, so it may not be picked up.
CBOC Manager: Alright,
Logan Martin Isaac: so it exposes the VA clinic to legal liability for personal injury. Okay. So what should I do with that?
Go?
CBOC Manager: Well, if you were concerned, like me personally, if I was in your position, if I was concerned if I sustained an injury while I was in, I'm assuming it was, uh, like local police or something like that or whatever, I would've gone to like an urgent care or emergency. Room and they can do images there. And the va, you just let 'em know you're a vet when you go there.
And then that way you're covered for that cause. 'cause if you were ever have concern, you have an injury and you can't get care in a timely fashion at a C block because of things like this. Or sometimes like we just got x-ray back, we didn't have x-ray for over a year. So then that way you are covered, you just go to an urgent care or something like that.
And then that way you get the information you need and you don't have any financial responsibility for it. And then I know nobody likes to hear about going up to Portland 'cause I've. I don't like it either. I get my carrier [00:02:00] also, but that's also another option. So
Logan Martin Isaac: how did you learn that you could do that?
CBOC Manager: What, which
Logan Martin Isaac: go to a local er,
CBOC Manager: um, that is on all of the, like va, like va.gov.
Logan Martin Isaac: You went online to look it up?
CBOC Manager: I believe so. And it was usually, there's like flyers, generally flyers here and there. If you go to the CBO webpage, there's also a, um, a care locator online on va.gov and it lets you look up. Like if you were traveling and you're like, man, I got a stomach ache or whatever, and I need to get seen.
You can find a place that the VA is contracted with either, whether it's a VA facility like this or an urgent care in Tennessee or wherever. So, and has that location, has the phone number, location, address, everything. So
Logan Martin Isaac: did you learn that as you became an employee at the va?
CBOC Manager: I didn't do that before.
Logan Martin Isaac: I didn't, I don't know if anybody's told me that until you did.
CBOC Manager: There's so much stuff. That's crazy man. I'm still. Stuff every day. I'm, but back to today, I'm sorry that happened. So, I mean, of course, like I [00:03:00] said, you don't wanna drive to Portland. They have, if you have imaging ordered, they can do it there today. But I, I don't blame you can drive up to Portland on a Friday.
That's not my, my ideal.
Logan Martin Isaac: Tell me about the er. If I go into an er, is it your understanding that I can ask for imaging? And bill the va, generally
CBOC Manager: we will ask for, you can't go in and ask for imaging. 'cause they won't, they, they'll just tell you, have a nice day, sir. But if you go in and say, Hey, I have a concern that I'm injured and I have this pain, um, you know, they, as a part of a good and prudent workup, most ER physicians would do an x-ray.
So, but also urgent care would do that as well. But that would be time before you got that back. So just like here,
Logan Martin Isaac: I told. The VA on? I'm not gonna look. The first request I sent, I mentioned I was arrested and it's been five days. Okay. Uh, [00:04:00] the receptionist mentioned clinic manager's name is Ann. You're not the clinic manager?
CBOC Manager: Uh, I'm the manager of the nurses and so I'm operations one of the operations managers for the clinic and is the clinic manager for the provider.
Logan Martin Isaac: So why, who, who is the x-ray tech and why would they not inform the rest of the office? Look, you can't take x-rays here. It may have
CBOC Manager: been put out, but I've been out all week, so
Logan Martin Isaac: at a certain point there's so many paper cuts. You have to wonder whether the VA is in the business of paper cuts or in the business of,
CBOC Manager: no, I can promise
you
Logan Martin Isaac: medical care.
CBOC Manager: So, and I agree. It's frustrating. Absolutely get it. Because like I said, I get my fear from the da, but I try my best to communicate stuff to the people, like people who are struggling with it. I,
Logan Martin Isaac: I understand that you're frustrated, but this is a clearly a systemic thing. Every VA I've been [00:05:00] to is so far departed from reasonable standards of care that the system itself like.
I don't know that I can trust you because you seem to support this system that still is, seems that 17 veterans a day is acceptable. So I don't know why somebody could have told an x-ray tech. Oh, if you're gonna be gone, tell the other nurses, tell the providers, tell somebody, anybody. I don't, I I don't wanna live in Portland.
I wish there would be a, a, a clinic in Albany. I can't find mental health because there's no provider short of Portland. Mm-hmm. So this is a systemic thing. I, I'm sorry. Guilt by association isn't a guilty verdict, but I can't trust the VA almost anywhere I go. So you feel that way? Yeah, I really am. I mean, you and I both know it's not a feeling best sometimes is not enough, I guess.[00:06:00]
So.
