Merit Health Wesley Now Able to Serve More Veterans
3/17/2017
Hattiesburg – The Veteran’s Affairs (VA) clinic at Merit Health Wesley has moved to a new location, allowing for more space to care for an estimated additional 5,000 Veterans per year. This marks the 19th year Merit Health Wesley has been awarded the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Community Based Outpatient Clinic contract.
The new contract continues to operate under the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model which allows for Veterans to receive care in a way that is customized specifically for them.
“We recognize that Veterans sometimes need a special kind of care, and this new approach and increased space allow us to serve this distinguished population in a way that recognizes that need,” said Stephen Beam, M.D., Medical Director.
The PACT model focuses on:
- Partnerships with Veterans
- Access to care using diverse methods, such as telemedicine and secured online messaging
- Coordinated care among team members, such as primary care physicians, mental health professionals, pharmacy, dietary technicians and physician specialists
- Team based care with Veterans at the center of the PACT
The model is patient-driven, proactive, personalized, and team-based. The team works toward wellness and disease prevention to improve Veteran satisfaction, healthcare outcomes and costs. Using this approach, the patient is the center of a care team which also includes the patient’s family members, caregivers and health care professionals such as the primary care provider, nurse care manager, clinical associate, and administrative staff.
“The PACT teams meet daily to discuss any patient issues as well as the individual’s health goals,” said Dr. Beam. “We work hard to create trusting relationships with those in our care so that they will feel appreciated and understood.”
While one large benefit is the team approach, Veterans will also have access to educational seminars as well as the wealth of information provided by My HealtheVet (www.myhealth.va.gov). Veterans can even communicate with members of their team via telephone or through Secure Messaging via My HealtheVet.
“We have been providing great care to our Veterans for 19 years and are continually improving processes and procedures to benefit the patient,” said Dr. Beam. “Our goal is simply to always provide the best care possible to these people who have given us so much.”
The VA clinic is now located at 5003 Hardy Street, Tower B, Suite 402 on the Merit Health Wesley campus. To contact the clinic, call (601) 296-3530.
A mural, painted by local artist, Kym Garraway, inside the newly relocated and expanded Veterans Affairs clinic in Tower B at Merit Health Wesley.
About Merit Health Wesley
As an affiliate of the state’s largest healthcare system, Merit Health Wesley is committed to providing superior care across the Pine Belt. Recognized for patient safety and for top performance on key quality measures, Merit Health Wesley is also the area’s first and only accredited Chest Pain Center and only area hospital to be accredited for Heart Failure care. For more information about Merit Health Wesley, call (601) 268-8000.
About Merit Health
Merit Health serves the healthcare needs of residents of Mississippi through its 12 affiliated hospitals and 120 physician practices. The healthcare system offers a wide array of services including orthopedics, cardiology, women’s health, emergency departments and broad diagnostic medical and surgical services. The network has approximately 2,300 licensed beds, 2,500 physicians on the combined active medical staffs, and 7,000 employees, and more than 53,000 admissions and 300,000 emergency department visits each year.
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