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Veterans Affairs Secretary Wilkie Visits, Praises Manchester VA

Peter Biello
/
NHPR
VA Sec. Robert Wilkie speaking on the steps of the Manchester VA on Friday, April 19, 2019.

Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie finished a tour of New England Friday with a stop at the Manchester VA.

The Manchester VA was selected recently as one of 18 VA hospitals nationwide to participate in a pilot program meant to boost patient safety.
But even before this pilot program was announced, Wilkie says VAs around the country have been improving.

"Fewer and fewer veterans are choosing to go outside of VA because we've seen a transformation in terms of the quality of care," Wilkie says.

Quality of care at the Manchester VA has been under the spotlight in recent years. Nearly two years ago, most of the Manchester VA's leadership team lost their jobs after whistleblowers came forward with allegations of mismanaged care.

Wilkie says the Manchester VA has made a changes under its new leadership, saying the Manchester VA is "really a hub for the way VA will point itself in the future, by engaging in partnerships with the private sector and provide as many services as we can to our veterans."
 

Peter Biello is the host of All Things Considered and Writers on a New England Stage at New Hampshire Public Radio. He has served as a producer/announcer/host of Weekend Edition Saturday at Vermont Public Radio and as a reporter/host of Morning Edition at WHQR in Wilmington, North Carolina.
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