5237435 Resolution 20-681, "Sense of the Council on Support of Comprehensive Health Care Delivery for New Hampshire's Veterans Resolution of 2014"

A RESOLUTION

 

20-681

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

November 18, 2014

 

 

To declare the sense of the Council to urge the Congress of the United States to fund the development and implementation of a comprehensive health care delivery system to enhance the level of specialty care for New Hampshire’s veterans.

 

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sense of the Council on Support of Comprehensive Health Care Delivery for New Hampshire’s Veterans Resolution of 2014”.

 

Sec. 2.  The Council finds that: 

            (1)  The District is particularly grateful for the sacrifice of its veterans, appreciates the high-quality of medical care that District veterans have access to within the District, and therefore believes all veterans should have access to high-quality medical care close to where they reside.

            (2)  New Hampshire has approximately 131,000 veterans, with the majority over the age of 65, who served their country bravely and risked their lives to preserve our country’s freedom and democracy. Their sacrifices on our behalf are deserving of an upgraded medical delivery system to meet their healthcare needs.

            (3)  New Hampshire is a largely rural state, with limited access to the interstate highway system, requiring veterans who may be ill and elderly and reside in rural communities to travel many miles to appointments for even minor medical procedures.

            (4)  Many New Hampshire veterans over the age of 65 do not have access to a primary care provider to support their medical needs.

            (5)  Due to limited access to interstate highways, inclement weather, and lack of proper transportation in rural communities, many veterans miss essential checkups and therapies.

            (6)  Receiving timely medical treatment would improve the overall health and quality of life of veterans by preventing numerous strokes, by-passes, amputations, and other costly, but preventable conditions.

            (7)  Due to the lack of a full-service veterans’ hospital in New Hampshire, many veterans are required to travel to Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island for medical treatment.

            (8)  Veterans residing in rural communities deserve the same level of care as veterans residing in other areas of the states.

            (9)  Adequate and high-quality care of all veterans should be a concern to all Americans.

 

Sec. 3. It is the sense of the Council that the Congress of the United States and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“Department”) should fulfill the Department’s goal of providing excellent in-patient care by increasing the types of, and access to, specialty care at a full-service Manchester VA Medical Center, or by developing a pilot program to utilize a veteran’s medical card for use in New Hampshire’s medical facilities in order to provide better care to veterans residing in rural areas, or by the establishment of additional community-based outpatient clinics, or mobile clinics, for veterans’ medical and mental needs, or where cost effective, by entering into private service contracts with the goal of increasing services and reducing travel time to ensure that access to health care is available when it is needed.

 

Sec. 4. The Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit copies of this resolution, upon its adoption, to the President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, and to the leaders of the New Hampshire House and Senate.

 

Sec. 5. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.