I woke up Wednesday morning, Nov. 16, with intense stomach pain. At 2:30 a.m., I went to the local emergency room. A CT scan revealed that I had gall stones and needed surgery. 

After a rough weekend, I called the Asheville VA on Monday morning. That afternoon a VA surgeon called me and scheduled an appointment for Tuesday morning. I completed pre-op that day, and Thursday morning, the 24th, I was on the operating table. The procedure was completed via laparoscopic surgery and I was discharged that day. My recovery has been quick and smooth. I needed pain medication for less than a week. I returned for a follow-up appointment on Dec. 6 and I was cleared to return to normal activity in a week. 

I couldn’t be any happier with the care I received from the VA. The personnel there responded immediately to my call, and everything was handled efficiently, promptly, and with real concern. This is the kind of care all Americans should receive. I went to the local emergency room because it was the middle of the night, and the VA is about a half-hour drive for us. Had I gone to the VA emergency room, I am certain the surgery would have been scheduled even sooner. 

Rather than attempting to privatize the VA healthcare system, which will be a great disservice to those who have answered the call to duty, Congress should be seeing it as a model for healthcare for all Americans. Numerous studies clearly show that VA care is equal to and often better than private care, is more cost effective, and offers an integrated, holistic approach as opposed to the costly, fragmented, and inefficient private sector, which leaves so many Americans poorly served, if not served at all. If you support veterans and want to do something concrete to show that support, instead of thanking us for our service, go to the website Save Our VA / Veterans For Peace and join our campaign to stop the privatization of the VA healthcare system. 

Bruce Carruthers 

Waynesville