CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many of our veterans come through Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi and Kingsville to train before deployment. Once home, they expect access to adequate healthcare, but there are many who say that is not what they are getting.
Between extremely long wait times for appointments, and having appointments canceled without notice, veterans say the system can be a roadblock to them receiving adequate healthcare.
"How difficult it is making their appointments and getting in there, it's pretty discouraging," Sandra Olivarez said.
Gil and Sandra Olivarez are one of many couples who are familiar with the Corpus Christi Veterans Affairs Clinic. Unfortunately, they are also familiar with how challenging it can be to get in with a doctor.
"That's the reason we're still seeing doctors out of town instead of going to the VA," Sandra said.
They're definitely not alone in their frustration.
"They're not accepting new patients, and the other thing is they're booked until 2025, late, like six months in," Sandra said.
"Providers are pretty busy. They have a full panel of patients," said Hugo Martinez, the public affairs officer for the Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System.
He said that while it's unfortunate, there are instances where appointments can get canceled. When that happens Martinez said the health care system would like patients to be seen by their own provider.
"For continuity of care, we would like for patients to be seen by their own provider, so they are placed on the next available appointment," Martinez said. "Sometimes three to six months out."
He said the VA has 17 health providers who can see anywhere from six to 14 patients a day, though some general practice physicians outside the VA system see far more patients than that in a single day.
"My first day of practice as a physician here in Corpus Christi, I saw 25 patients," said Dr. Mark Dodson.
For patients who need to be seen sooner rather than later, Martinez said there are options for them to consider.
"We have what we call 'gap teams' or 'gap providers,' so the patient will not see their own providers, but nevertheless they will still have the opportunity to be seen by a primary care provider," he said.
Martinez said that for those who's appointments do get canceled, there are measures to make sure they are kept in the loop.
"Our staff does make three phone attempts to contact the patient, and if not able to do so, they'll send emails," Martinez said. "They'll send secure messages and they'll send letters as well."
Still, for patients like Gil and Sandra, there are certain standards they keep in mind when looking for a doctor.
"Accomplished doctors that have a good history, a good resume, that's really what I'm looking for whenever I'm looking for a doctor here so that I don't have to go so far," Gil said.