VA adapts to pandemic, completing construction

Dec. 27—DANVILLE — Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System officials know its been a challenging year for veterans and its health care staff with the coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm very proud of the work in our COVID response," said director Shawn Bransky. "Our staff has really stepped up to the plate."

He said nobody ever predicted such a needed quick response, and they continued to provide health care throughout the pandemic.

They've returned to about 75 percent of outpatient volume, in seeing veterans on an outpatient basis from where they were pre-COVID.

He said they are now excited about the COVID-19 vaccine, and received the Moderna vaccine this week.

They'd been running mock clinics and getting ready for it. This included having a list of health care personnel and community living center residents ready for the vaccine.

There was more of a shift this year in using technology, instead of mainly seeing veterans face-to-face, with the pandemic.

The VA increased their video appointments, "over a thousand fold" from where they were last year, Bransky said. Through telephone and video, they are able to address certain medical concerns.

Construction projects also are moving along at the VA.

Bransky said they continue to move a lot of strong initiatives to improve the capacity of care.

Last year they broke ground on two more of the community living center, small homes. There's four now and these will total six small homes for veterans.

Bransky said as a veteran himself, the homes are state-of-the art and the utmost quality, and he'd be privileged to live in one of them.

Veterans in the VA's long-term care will be moved into those homes.

The homes should be completed around Jan. 1, with move-ins then to start.

The goals is to have 10 of the small homes, with construction spread out over several years. They'll start construction on more of them, moving forward.

The VA also broke ground on a 22-bed inpatient mental health building, across from Urgent Care.

The center should be ready in February 2021 to take occupancy.

The building will be outfitted with computers and furniture, with an expected March opening.

The center will replace the VA's current mental health unit inside a 1965 building.

The new site will offer a state-of-the-art facility, and be a very modern environment, Bransky said.

The VA also completed its perimeter fence project, and it will add more services and continue to grow its Bloomington clinic.

"There's lots going on," he said.

A VA clinical priority focus in 2021 will be on preventing veteran suicides.

The suicide prevention team has been recognized for its outreach efforts the last couple years.

Bransky said they will continue their aggressive outreach to try to get the suicide number to zero.

The national suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, or someone can text to 838255.

The VA also will continue community partnerships to make sure veterans are taken care of.

The VA is working on a new electronic health records system to have in place by 2022. Infrastructure upgrades and training staff is a VA-wide initiative.

They've already transitioned to a centralized call system for faster responses to veterans.

Bransky said in most cases it's one-call resolution now.

"We're making sure we track that and close the loop," he said.

The Danville VA has about 1,500 employees, and they are hiring. They also want to expand the number of veterans enrolled with the VA.

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