Thoughts on the Hospital Itself

I have spent over 8 hours each day this week at the Asheville VA Hospital as I get hospital chaplain training through the CPE program.  As I have walked the halls, I've reflected on what I expected to find and what is actually here.

I have spent much of my life hearing about the VA medical system as one big huge mess.  I have seen NO evidence of that here on the ground.  Granted, I am not receiving care, and I am not dealing with bills.  But the hospital itself is clean and bright with lots and lots of staff.  Most of the staff smile at people as they walk down the halls.

I've had a chance to go beyond the public areas to people's rooms, and I see the same thing:  clean rooms, windows with a view, staff monitoring patient health, everyone calm and professional.  I do realize I have yet to see the wards where I be more likely to see disturbing sights, like operating rooms or the wards where people having a mental health crisis are served.

I'm happy to see art on the walls:  art that celebrates veterans, art that tries to capture the beauty of the outdoor world, art that seeks to inspire and comfort.  I'm happy to see small garden spaces as I walk outside, and these spaces are visible inside too.

I'm happy to know about the wide variety of services.  I think of the Asheville VA Hospital as being one of the smaller ones in the system, and if that's true, I can't imagine how large the larger hospitals must be.  During orientation, we found out that our hospital routinely is ranked in the top 3 of the VA hospitals in terms of patient satisfaction.

I am satisfied too.  My colleagues in the chaplains unit are wonderful, as are the others with whom we interact.  I feel very fortunate.