[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9179]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IMPROVING VA MEDICAL CENTERS

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, President Obama announced his plans to 
withdraw our troops from Afghanistan. As we prepare to welcome these 
men and women home, we must ensure that the VA medical centers are 
well-equipped to meet the needs of these returning heroes, in addition 
to those who are currently receiving care.
  Like all of my colleagues here, I am outraged by the deaths and 
medical errors at VA medical centers around the country, including 
those in Memphis. As soon as the VA inspector general issued a report 
about preventable deaths at the Memphis VA, I wrote Secretary Shinseki 
expressing my concerns about the Memphis facility. I invited him to 
visit the center to assess what resources it needs to improve care for 
the nearly 200,000 veterans served by that facility.
  I have been in close communication with the director at the Memphis 
medical center to discuss quality of care improvements for our 
veterans. I am committed to making sure that our VA medical centers 
have the resources that they need to deliver quality care to our 
Nation's veterans.
  This is a serious matter, and it will become more critical as more 
heroes return home. I look forward to working with my colleagues on 
this issue.

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