A patient of the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center did not receive his cancer diagnosis in a timely manner due to multiple failures by facility staff, according to the results of an inquiry by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General released Tuesday. (Jonathon Gruenke)
(Tribune News Service) — Primary care teams at Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia are operating above capacity as they work to keep up with growing veteran enrollment — leaving staff overburdened and struggling with burnout, according to a recent federal watchdog report.
Facility leaders set the number of patients assigned to a care team at 110% capacity in early 2024 to keep up with demand, according to a March facility inspection report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. Of its 55 primary care teams, Hampton VA Medical Center has seven vacant positions, including several nurses and a provider.
The OIG report underscores the degree to which medical teams at the Hampton VA rely on the opening of two outpatient clinics in Chesapeake to offset the workload. The report noted workers expressing optimism that these new facilities could help ease primary care staff burden and alleviate fatigue and burnout.
However, one of those facilities is expected to open later this month with roughly a quarter of the staff needed to operate at full capacity. The North Battlefield VA Outpatient Clinic will open April 17 with a staff of at least 155 people, 10 primary care teams, two mental health teams, a lab and a pharmacy, according to VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz. He said this was just the first phase in staffing the clinic and the VA is still recruiting for hundreds of other positions with the goal to employ 540 people by January.
devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com
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