We as a country owe a lot to the men and women who have laid their lives on the line to defend our country. Even when we were just a fledgling group of loosely associated states, citizens rose to the challenge to fight for our freedom.

As the years moved on, soldiers have fought against tyranny around the world in an effort to protect not just our shores, but the entire world.

We owe them a debt greater than we can pay, but we must try to do so anyway.

The most fundamental thing we can do for these brave men and women is to make sure they have access to the proper health care they need. Unfortunately, the system we have set up to do that is more complicated than it should be.

A new Veterans Affair medical center has recently opened in Valdosta. The center wont have much of an impact on our local veterans, though, because of the complex nature of which veterans are sent to which hospital.

If the VA clinic in Brunswick cant treat a veteran, they are sent to Dublin. Hinesville veterans have to go to Macon. Savannah veterans travel up to Charleston. Camden County veterans are sent to Jacksonville.

We echo the thoughts of Bennie Williams, commander of American Legion Post 9 in Brunswick, on the subject: It doesnt make any sense.

Another issue Williams pointed out to The News was how phone calls from veterans trying to reach the Brunswick clinic are automatically routed to the VA hospital in Dublin. Williams said he typically waits 30 to 45 minutes to talk to someone.

The VA has some plans in motion that will benefit area veterans. The administration is currently advertising for land where a new VA clinic for Brunswick will reside. That clinic, Williams said, will offer 60 percent more services than the current one.

We know the people who work at VA clinics and hospitals care about their patients. We also know that Congress hasnt always done its job when it comes to ensuring the agency has what it needs to do its job properly.

The VA is the only access to health care available to some veterans. Those who fought for our freedom deserve to have a system that is well-funded and not overly complicated to navigate.

Lets work together to find a way to make that happen.

See the article here:

Veterans should have access to great health care - Brunswick News