By Larry Dandridge
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Health Care System is a highly regarded healthcare system that specializes in providing comprehensive care to veterans. Here are 15 reasons veterans should enroll in VA healthcare in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia.
Five-star Quality of Care
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System (RHJVAHCS) is the only medical system in the Lowcountry with a dual five-star Patient Satisfaction and Quality Rating. The VA Medical Center in downtown Charleston, S.C., and its seven Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCS) in Beaufort, Goose Creek, North Charleston, Trident (Ladson), Myrtle Beach, Savannah, and Hinesville, Ga.,consistently provide high-quality medical services to veterans, ensuring they receive the best possible health care.
RHJVAHCS is on Becker’s 2023 Great Community Hospitals List
The Ralph H Johnson VA Health Care System (HCS) is the only Veterans Affairs healthcare facility to secure a position on Becker’s 2023 Great Community Hospitals list. Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading healthcare publication, annually identifies and honors hospitals that exhibit outstanding performance in serving their respective communities.
Rated in the top 10 percent of all public and private hospitals
THE RHJVA Medical Center is ranked in the top 10 percent of all public and private hospitals by the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information System (HEDIS). HEDIS is a tool used by more than 90 percent of America’s health plans and provides the information healthcare consumers need to reliably compare the performance of healthcare plans across the country.
Patient- and family-centered care (PFFC) facility and staff
The RHJ VA Med Center is a trained and practicing patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) facility and team. With the help of the staff, patients, and volunteers, the RHJVAHCS has implemented a number of PFCC continuous improvement initiatives
Extensive range of specialties
The RHJVHCS offers a wide array of medical specialties, including Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiac Care, Mental Health Care, Primary Care, Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Women’s Health, Cardiology, Oncology, Nephrology, and Pulmonary.
Advanced technology
The hospital and its CBOCs utilize state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology to provide advanced diagnostics, treatments, and surgical procedures. From surgeries using advanced robotics to 3D printing quality-of-life improving devices for patients, Ralph H Johnson VA Health Care System providers explore all avenues of care when treating Veterans.
Research and innovation
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Hospital actively engages in research to advance medical knowledge and improve patient outcomes. Receiving millions in VA funding, the Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS focuses on research in the areas of Basic Research in Cardiology, Endocrinology, Diabetes Mellitus, Hematology/Oncology, Rheumatology, Nephrology and Alcohol-Related Disorders, Clinical Research in Mental Health, PTSD, Hypertension and Aging, Health Services Research in rural health and health disparities, Rehabilitation research in stroke injury, and Clinical Trials in Oncology.
Dedicated staff
The Health Care System boasts a dedicated team of healthcare professionals who are committed to meeting the unique needs of veterans. Many of the providers that work to care for the veterans are veterans themselves and they are also involved in nationally accredited research. The same doctor that is providing care could be the same doctor writing new procedures for surgeries or researching new treatment methods.
Comprehensive mental health service
The hospital prioritizes mental health services for veterans, offering a range of counseling, therapy, and support programs. Mental health services at the Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS cover a wide spectrum of specializations. These can be addiction and substance abuse care, general mental health care, military sexual trauma care, PTSD care, psychiatry services, and suicide prevention.
Accessible locations
The hospital has multiple convenient locations, ensuring veterans can easily access the care they need. With a complex network Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, VA providers make sure veterans’ care is an easy process. These clinics are established across the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia and are staffed with elite providers ready to address any issues a veteran may have.
Collaborations with academic institutions
The RHJVAHCS collaborates with academic institutions, fostering training opportunities for future healthcare professionals and promoting research partnerships. The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System works heavily with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Through collaborations like these, programs like the Veterans Choice program were created to make sure veterans have access to the care they need in a timely manner.
If you are already enrolled in VA health care, you may be able to receive care from non-VA facilities, instead of waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility.
Only VA with three nurse residency programs
The RHJVHCS is the only VA in the USA to offer three nurse residency programs. RHJ VA Nurse Residency Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Community engagement
The hospital actively engages with the local community through outreach programs, events, and partnerships, ensuring it remains connected to the society it serves. This is done through events like community blood drives, food and vegetable “Fresh Xpress” distribution programs, and the new PACT ACT outreach teams.
RHJVAHCS is an HRO
The RHJVAHCS has committed to becoming a High-Reliability Organization (HRO) or one that supports consistent operations while catching and correcting potentially catastrophic errors before they happen. They do this through a complex system of analysis and process improvement. Examples of other high-Reliability Organizations are the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System, U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, nuclear power plants, and NASA.
Hard to find a vet or family member with a complaint
As a Patient Adviser and veteran Volunteer Representative on the Ralph H. Johnson Family and Patient Advisory Committee (PFAC), I have great difficulty finding someone with a complaint against the RHJVAHCS, and when I do find a complaint, I jump on it like a junkyard dog and run it to ground until the Ralph H. Johnson VA Med Center Patient Advocate Team and Leadership get the problem fixed with great speed and vigor!
Learn more about how lucky we Lowcountry veterans and our family members are to be supported by the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System at:
– The VA Charleston Healthcare webpage at https://bit.ly/3OL8wT1 and the RHJVAHCS Phone Directory at https://bit.ly/3pFzDFq.
– The great community hospital list webpage at https://bit.ly/3Ysqf5e.
– The only five-star medical facility in S.C. for customer satisfaction at https://bit.ly/3Qra1XN.
– The Regional Center for Excellence for Mental Healthcare at https://bit.ly/3DJQzhB.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
