VA St. Louis Health Care System — Local services in St. Louis

We came to the emergency room because my husband's legs were swollen, and he couldn't lay down to sleep and was having a hard time breathing when he came up from the basement. Of course, he never wants to go to the Doctor but, he was not gonna hear the end from me if he didn't. I love the fact that my husband uses the VA, because all of his information is in the system and everywhere he goes they can see his medical history. So, he's at the hospital with said issues and after being admitted, finds out...OMG, he was in congestive heart failure and had that fluid, that was in his legs, was also in one of his lungs...ugh! The doctors and nurses were very informative and knowledgeable as well as caring and considerate. Once all the fluid was removed and the tests were ran, we were told that he had a calcification of one of the hearts valves and needed surgery...open heart surgery. There were other options that were not feasible for his condition and even though they were not going to use those options.They still informed him of them. They, of course, ran down the pros and cons, risks, and rewards. He has had the surgery now, 4 days ago. I am glad that all went well despite how long it took for him to come off the ventilator. But I even heard that was normal. Thank you, Cardiac team! The communication from all that nurses but especially Mary Ann Cunningham was superb. She is so thorough that she saw that I wasn't feeling well and knew that I would be taking care of him when he got home. She persuaded me to go to the doctor to get checked out from what I was telling her about my symptoms. And yes, I had the flu. She wanted to make sure I was well enough if I was gonna take care of my husband when he came home. I know people complain about the VA and its hospital and doctors, but not today. It's not the fanciest place. But the meals are good. The nurses do seem to care and will assist if you need their help, and there are plenty of resources, if neededcheck with your caseworker. Mary Ann helped with getting my husband's FMLA papers back to his employer. She is a great resource to have, Not only is she knowledgeable, but she shows that she cares and has an eye and passion for what she does. Her "bedside manner" is unmatched! There were no "dumb questions" with her! She gets back to you and informs you of any updates. She is really busy, but she will get back to you. Seeing that I couldn't come back to see my husband due to my flu diagnosis that communication was invaluable to me. I hope the new administration sees the benefit of funding our VA medical hospitals, clinics, an it's staff. A BIG thanks from me...

I think as a Veteran that the personnel in administration, Particularly Mr. Holly, who assisted me with a problem and was instrumental in solving my dilemma. I was a patient for almost two years In the St. Louis Medical VA center. I had a stay at Jefferson Barracks with my left leg amputation. Bldg 53 needs to have major work done to eliminate the rodents that travel from room to room. The staff is apprized of it!! Yet is continues to happen. Mice run in the walls from one A/C unit to another cause the caulking around the pipes is inadequate!!! Here is a Veterans Hospital that is aware of the disease ridden vermin, One staff member buys from his own pocket, strips of glue that are designed to catch them and puts them under the A/C unit if a patient complains. The head nurse in charge of the second floor is aware of it and they reply well we have a pesticide company that is responsible for the removal, yet the government pays for a service to remove these and any other Bugs like spiders that can be found in dark corners especially in the showers, and does not really care!!!! When I was discharged in August of 2013 I went to the Directors office and spoke with a woman that was acting Director at the time,. I spent over an hour of her time giving her a list in detail of problems that patients face daily that I noticed in my 6 month hospital stay. She had taken 4 pages of notes and assured me that she would look into my complaints and give me a response in writing as to her plan and what remedies were taken to correct them because I asked her if she would do that. I left St. Louis in February 2014. I never received any feedback on any of the long list of deficiencies I gave her. I have had 29 surgeries over the past 30 years in many Navy, Army and veterans hospitals. I have to say that East orange, NJ is the worst on my list and St. Louis is second on the list of worst places to be a patient. Columbia, SC was one of the better along with The West palm beach Va hospital. I know that no one is going to not find fault with services at any hospital, But for Veterans like myself who are seasoned patients that know what to expect when receiving medical Treatment, This is a sad state of affairs at those two hospitals. I think that the Inspector General in Washington should have surprise inspections that are unannounced and are started at different shifts so the staff can be evaluated as it really is and not make preparations for a week or so in advance so they can get a good grade!!! Our Veterans deserve...

Based on the extremely special level of care my whole family came away feeling they received during my husband’s stay @ John Cochran V.A. Hospital this past Friday we believe that we have more than enough evidence that should prove to any Veteran that may find themselves in need of receiving similar medical treatment from both the medical personnel and employees alike that we came in contact with that they will eventually feel as we do now…..Because ”specialized” care at John Cochran includes caring for not only the Veteran, but also the Veterans family if need be….It certainly did for us...And, after what we experienced from the joint effort seemingly made by so many to address however they could whatever issue had an effect on his care and that of his family….I can’t believe that anyone would come away not feeling how awesome the medical care they received from having a whole team of Cardiologists who actually choose to spend the time it takes to answer questions like Dr.Krittpoom chose to do. And, don’t even get me started talking about how amazing we felt about the care that we were given by the greatest group of people who work in the Progressive Care Unit…. Because, not only did they monitor my husband's heath condition 24/7, Lisa Fields, Willie Welch, Walter Govan and Lisa Gregory also ended up responding to the medical needs of our Son when they took a frightening turn to needing them assesed ….. And, even tho the panic was brief, those, are some of the memories that will bring a tear to my eye for some time….That's why a very special thanks goes out to Lisa Fields and Mim for choosing to check on my son and I thru the nite just to offer help or an ear to listen… it meant more than I have to give to help prove how much….Also, a special thanks goes out to Kathy Kahre and a nurse on the 4th floor named Turner for their considerations towards us as well...And, last but not least even tho I didn’t catch her name…..A big thank you to the lady cafeteria employee who helped my Son, Bobby and I by offering what I consider ….”words of wisdom”.... I’m gonna try to apply them to my life….ALL of your choices to go above the call of your duties….made a hard time easier to handle... Robert,Vicki and...