Louisville VA Medical Center — Local services in Louisville

I have to use a wheelchair there but there is not a lot of accessible parking for patients if you don't want to use valet parking. A lot of the parking are taken by employees some using handicap parking permits that aren't theirs. And if a wheelchair patients have to use the new parking lot or lot 6(the big lot on the hill) for manual wheelchairs sidewalks are not accessible, from lot 6 you can only use the road next to boiler plant to west entrance and back other end of lot will throw you on the road or break your wheelchair. The call boxes in lot 6 you can't use because curbs that they are on are not accessible or reachable. You have to sit in the road and if you can get a shuttle if it is not a driver in a green uniform, all the rest are volunteers and are not insured to transport wheelchair patients and you or the volunteer is not covered if you or the driver gets injured. Several outer buildings or offices are not wheelchair accessible either or they are not very safe for manual wheelchair users. I am a veteran that prefers to not be in pain nor on heavy narcotic medications but many doctors seem to be afraid to issue weak narcotics or alternative pain relieving sources. Torture may be against the Geneva convention rules but acceptable for veterans at this VA hospital. While the Lexington KY VA hospital doctors seem to be very happy to help you with non-narcotic pain relieving sources or to suggest alternative non-conventional and conventional prescription and or OTC medications with other exercises or devices as quickly as possible, and try as quickly as possible to find the source or causes of the pain. When the LVAMC in my experience they take at times 2 to 25 years before they even believe that you are in pain. Nor believe at times what the tests prove and play the problem off as nothing at all is wrong. Doesn't help when they a discouraged from doing the tests or giving help either. To me long-term inexpensive pain medications or tests can be less expensive then later rehabilitation that is usually or long-term and costly in the long run and future problems that could have been prevented by listening and being able to do what they were trained for. Over all there is good people and good service a lot of the time i have met doctors and staff there that rate from diamonds and gold to lead and river rocks and play dough, some are great and have their hands tied and others are useless and don't care most...

Just went to surprise my grandpa with his baby granddaughter and when we walked in there was not a single person at the front desk or any of the little cubicles along the corridor... So as im pushing my daughter in the stroller we came to the elevators. Again not a single nurse or aid or no one. Went to floor 5 and then walked through a set of double doors with no warnings about children or visitors.. Just to see my grandpa looking miserable and being spoken to like he was a 3 yr old when this man is smarter then all of them in 1. And then some lady turned and mom shamed me for having my baby girl in there.... Sadly now a days you would love to see a grandchild visit a grandparents considering a lot dont. And you want to make me look like a terrible mother while my grandpa is looking and being treated the way he was. What happened to your oath ?!?! I dont have my grandfather for much longer and the next time i go in she will not be there.. If i could take him somewhere else I would but legally i dont have that choice. But to the mom shaming know it all nurse maybe if you would had better bed side manners to your patients family then maybe your boss wouldnt have to talk to you... Karma. They better treat my hero of a grandfather with the respect...

I am a transfer from another VA. Waited over a year for them to get me in their system even after calling multiple times. The Primary care has been very sub-par compared to the other VA stating my VA medications were not VA medications one of them being my anti-psychotic, treating without reading my record-and yes the doctor the admitted she did not. Additionally I so love my mental health provider trying to label me a drug abuser because I asked for Xanax because it helps lower blood sugar for this diabetic- she decided to place me on something that would increase my weight and stated that some people abuse the drug-not even a medical reason. I have intense migraines rated at 30% disabling and the optical center- which holds a monopoly on my VA optical care- even though I went early enough during operating hours had to go four times traveling across out of state just to get my VA prescription filled even calling off work that I could ill afford. Lately they claim to try to reach me for appointments scheduling, but it's weird my phone records show no calls from them on the specified days they stated they tried. I just dunno about this place, they seem to be dirty and really don't care...