The Roseburg VA Health Care system has struggled in recent years. Its intensive care unit closed in 2009. In 2019, its emergency department was converted to a weekday urgent care clinic. They’re also working on implementing a new medical record system, which has frustrated some veterans with its lack of functionality. In the spring, Patrick Hull was chosen as the new executive director of the Roseburg VA. A strategic planning process is now underway, and so are discussions about the level of care veterans receive at the facility. JPR’s Jane Vaughan recently spoke with Hull about his goals for his new position.
Jane Vaughan: What are the main issues that you've encountered in your first six, seven months?
Patrick Hull: Well, the first three months was doing transition kind of briefings for me to understand what is the organization and what's its makeup. I have to hear from our veterans. And I have to hear from our staff. And I have to understand the capabilities that we actually have to bring about good health care. So that time was spent trying to figure out, where is putting the right care at the right time at the right place? So as we focused on trying to figure out how do we provide a sustainable health care organization that doesn't harm a patient. So we've developed a strategic plan, the framework around a strategic plan, and that is a document that helps me guide the staff of where we need to put our resources, realign our resources, both staffing, technology, electronic medical records, and put them focused on what's important to the veteran. So we have 17 different initiatives that are focused on our operation here to improve a sustainable operation.
JV: Last November, over 90% of Douglas County residents voted to restore full medical services to the VA. What progress has been made on that?
PH: You said restoring full capability. We have to define what that is. And that's the thing about the right care at the right time at the right place. Focusing on a level one, two or three organization, you can leave something out in that. We have to be more strategic and say, when we're looking at health care, is it good for the population that's here, is that their needs? And I need to provide health care that every veteran that steps into this facility, their facility, their health care system, that they trust that it's going to be safe.
JV: So what feedback have you heard from local veterans since you've been here?
PH: We have multiple [veteran service] organizations that they've come forward and sincerely told me they want to help us. And now I have to kind of guide them in a way that, how do you work within the system, and how do you provide safe health care? Since our VSOs have met with me, they've had some concerns about chiropractic care. So we're hiring two chiropractors. So there's other improvements that we're doing to try to provide more sustainable operations. So we've initiated hiring initiatives to bring in individuals so we can turn off the churn of staff. And then one of the VSO groups and the staff said holding people accountable. I believe in self-accountability. And so as a part of that, as we move forward in these initiative, is not delaying it.
JV: Sure. And you've mentioned staff recruitment and retention. Can you give me some more detail on how you plan to address those pieces specifically?
PH: So, we look at hiring staff, and having new graduates from medical programs is tough sometimes when you're implementing new [programs], like the medical record, or you're working down that process. So now I said, well, how can we make that, how can we help them feel satisfied? How can we help them feel comfortable? And so we initiated a mentoring program. So we have a nine to 12 month mentoring program that they'll work with seasoned professional nurse practitioners to help them transition. So then they'll get a smaller panel and then they'll graduate and they'll graduate in like 12 months. But what we want to do is focus on how are we hiring people, and how can they be supportive to each other so if we were to lose a provider because they want to go, they want to retire, how can we have sustainability?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
