Thousand Oaks, CA – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) hosted a discussion with community stakeholders on the status of veterans’ healthcare services and plans for immediate improvements at the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Oxnard.
Brownley invited the new leadership of the VA Greater Los Angeles (GLA) Healthcare System to provide an update on their plans and strategies to reduce wait times and improve healthcare services at the Oxnard CBOC. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides primary care and mental health services to thousands of Ventura County veterans at the Oxnard CBOC.
“The clinic must reach its full potential as soon as possible so that Ventura County veterans can receive high-quality health care, including additional specialty care services, closer to home in a timely manner,” said Brownley.
“Since coming to VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System in February, I have worked closely with Congresswoman Brownley who raised concerns about wait times at the Oxnard CBOC the first time that we met,” said Ann Brown, Medical Center Director of the VA GLA Healthcare System. “I thank Congresswoman Brownley for convening today’s discussion so that we could present a plan to ensure the Oxnard clinic is fully staffed and able to meet the needs of Ventura County Veterans.”
Also, participating in the discussion was Richard Robinson, the Executive Director of Ambulatory Care and CBOCs at the VA GLA Healthcare System. This new position was created to guarantee greater oversight to the VA clinics in the GLA Healthcare System that includes the Oxnard CBOC.
As the Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, Congresswoman Brownley has been working to ensure that Ventura County veterans are receiving the care that they have earned and deserve by expanding the Oxnard CBOC and shepherding authorization and funding for the new 47,000 sq. ft. community clinic through Congress.
Brownley was pivotal in last December’s expansion of the CBOC at University Drive, which should have expanded access to healthcare and driven down wait times, but has had difficulty recruiting and retaining health care providers, negatively impacting wait times. Brownley will continue to provide the oversight necessary to ensure that veterans’ concerns about the Oxnard CBOC are heard and addressed by the new leadership of the VA GLA Healthcare System.
Issues: 114th Congress, Healthcare, Local Issues, Veterans' Affairs