Allen Ellison is Fighting for our Veterans
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell
The United States Armed Forces-The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard, are the backbone and last line of defense for our Country against aggressors foreign or domestic. So many proud men and women have served our Country for 245 years. Many of them have shed their blood in the line if duty and many have given their life in service of our Country. We owe a debt of gratitude to every man and woman who have given of themselves to serve. Unfortunately, many of these people have been forgotten and neglected by our system and society. Allen Ellison, US Senatorial candidate for Florida, is looking to change this, “Taking care of our Veterans is paramount!”
For many years the VA has held a negative place in the military and medical community. So many issues have plagued the system that serves our heroes. Ellison points out that, “When someone goes to bat for you, it’s only right that you return the favor.” We can longer sit around and watch those who served and protected us not get served proper medical treatment.
One issue our veterans face is lack of care in rural areas. Many veterans have to drive long distance to reach the nearest VA Center. Others have to drive to multiple sites to get complete services. Some centers will have primary Doctor but not audiology or cardiology. While other might have pulmonary services but not psychological services.In the private sector most Doctor’s offices have all the services in one building or complex. We must find a way to cut down on the run around our Vets receive for their necessary services.
Another issue is the lack of modernization in most VA centers. With the wide variety of medical issues that Vets have, they deserve the best care possible. A lot of VA Centers lack the up to date facilities or equipment need to treat certain common medical issues properly. The big movement in private hospitals is to rebuild, remodel, and modernize their facilities. Why should common citizens have the access to the best medical care but those who have served and risked their lives for our country get substandard care and equipment?
The issue of the bureaucracy behind the VA is another hurdle. Nurses and Doctors are handcuffed due to out of date and ridiculous regulation. To add insult to injury the higher ups worry more about productivity numbers as opposed to proper care of the patient. Finally, improper allocation of funding leads to substandard conditions and equipment. The bureaucracy is out of touch of what is happening in the VA Centers day to day.
Finally, Veteran suicide numbers have risen to an alarming rate and more resources need to be put in the mental health program to get more life saving services to these men and women. Allen Ellison is passionate about making changes to help solve this horrible issue, “Roughly 18 to 22 military veterans a day commit suicide. The causes for this tragedy are typically depression fueled by the reaction to PTSD, survivor’s guilt, or low self-esteem due to unpreparedness for civilian life,” Ellison has ideas to make these changes, “It is our mission to push for a bill that will put in place changes to the existing military discharge process that would eliminate or at the minimum reduce these events. The changes require two additions to the existing discharge process.”
As we look back at the sacrifices that our serving men and women have made in defense of our country, it’s not much to ask for proper health and medical care. As we look forward to future election cycles we must look to people, like Allen Ellison, who want to make a difference in our VA system and help our Veteran population.
Www.AllenEllison.com
