Protect veterans, protect workers, and protect the VA.
That was the message at a Thursday town hall meeting hosted by VA nurse members of National Nurses United.
Union leaders from across the country joined Augusta VA nurses and veterans who rely on the VA system to rally workers to stay strong.
They warned that ongoing federal budget cuts threaten to dismantle VA hospitals, including Augusta’s, and shift veteran care into the private sector.
Mary Turner, a registered nurse from Minnesota who is president of National Nurses United, said the administration “is trying to pull the rug out from under our union brothers and sisters.”
Turner recalled how her sister, a retired Air Force major, received care from the VA after a cancer diagnosis in her 40s. “The care she got in those years from the VA was second to none.”
Unlike other contracts, Turner said, VA nurse agreements include language protecting their right to advocate for patients. “There is nothing stronger than a nurse who is advocating for her patients.”
Irma Westmoreland, an RN at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta and chair of NNU’s VA division, said many turned out to stand together.
“I am so pleased that people from all walks of life showed up at this town hall to stand with us as we fight back against this administration’s policies that threaten the very existence of the VA,” she said.
“There is a group of rich and powerful people in Washington, D.C. who want nothing more than to get their hands on billions of taxpayer dollars so they can put that money into the pockets of health care giants, instead of into the care of those who served our country,” Westmoreland said.
The VA differs from private sector care in that it is uniquely equipped to handle conditions like PTSD, military sexual trauma, and Agent Orange exposure, she said.
Vietnam veteran Burrel Lanham, of Conyers, said he’s relied on the Augusta VA for treatment related to combat injuries and Agent Orange-related cancer for many years.
“Going to the VA, I really felt that was the place that really understands military injuries.” Cutting services breaks a national promise “that when we get back, we will be taken care of.”
Tamara Reid, a speech pathologist said the VA sees enough patients to justify hiring five speech pathologists. Instead she recently was told she could no longer provide outpatient care.
“I had to tell my patients I can no longer treat them,” she said. “It’s an emotional thing.”
Omid Mohamadi of NNU and the California Nurses Association said the push to privatize is part of a larger strategy to weaken federal labor protections.
“The attack on federal workers will harm the health and wellbeing of all workers,” he said.
