Veterans Administration in Indy complets the 7th and 8th floor additions and we now have an ultra modern wing for VA Patients.

I had reason to us the VA Indy this past two weeks and found I was the first patient to use a new bed, room and wing due to open up in a few days.

Turns out the new floors on 7A & 8A are very new....Very modern and very advanced.  Given the fact the VA Indy is well connected with I.U. Medical School and is among the only facilities in the state to handle some procedures; this makes the VA Indy the crown jewel of VA Medical care for Indiana.

Now in my own case I was sent there after being "stabilized" by Ball Memorial Hospital being sent there from the VA Local Clinic here in Muncie as an emergency.  Keep in mind these Pictures were taken on my AT&T Razor Cell Phone.

                The Elevator opens up to a spacious Visitors area with a big screen TV and well lighted and comfortable.  The new Rooms on the 7th and 8th floors have modern well lit nursing stations and the entire current leading edge tech for the staff to use.  Now mind you the food is still Hospital food, but is the best I have had in a very long time.  And I was put on a Diabetic "Restrictive" Diet.  This lunch, from VA Dietary Services; looks pretty good to me.

           The New wing has Doors that can adjust to beyond the door jams to move "Big loads" Through them. In the room I was in 8022 I had a wonderful view of the City, The New Self administering Chemo Units are a first for them...and very nicely done...As it turns out, I may be getting a opportunity to try them out soon.

         They have added Palliative Care rooms for those who want their loved ones next to them in the final days.  And bathroom access is really well done; some of the overhead lifts can actually take a patient from bed into the bathroom area, in an oversize shower unit, that even allows for wheel chairs.

I have discovered that any time one goes into a hospital, be it Ball Memorial (Now Clarian) or Veterans Administration; One needs to be Pro-Active in a team effort to get the best medical care possible. One must communicate well and ask to speak to the right persons and in a timely manner; as well as check up or follow up if things are seemingly taking too long to get an answer to urgent questions. Sometimes the nursing staff knows, and sometimes they have to call the doctor or get clarifications on an order that seems contradictory.

And this is especially so if you have more then one team of specialists working on more then one problem area that requires coordination or handing off one team to the another and the sequence of things getting done becomes a matter of who knows what, about what is suppose to happen next.

I discovered recently; that the VA is as good as a Private Sector Medical Group; in fact the doctor at BMH had spent his internship from I.U. Med at the VA Indy and was now working in BMH as a GI Specialist. I thank God for all the care I have received. And still believe in God’s doing Miracles today and does indeed work through Medical persons of all levels as well…God is the Master Physician and the one who Heals us…even if he uses the Minds, Eyes, and Hands of People to do so sometimes.

So for you Veterans’ that read and see this, I hope you will Re-Think what it is you think of the VA, and the VA Indy in particular. And to the Folks who operate The Veterans Transportation Van through AMVETS Post 12, and handle such coordination through the local American Red Cross Hoosier Heartland office by calling 765-284-3361

And we veteran’s need to make sure the appointment times “allow” for the transportation schedule as much as is possible. If the Medical folks are not able to adjust your appointment; then ask to talk to Gene Farmer at AMVETS Post 12 765-287-9054 and He would in turn talk to the individual drivers about special hours and days as needed.

In the meantime, we are blessed to have a Local VA Clinic (contract) and good staff there to help us with all our needs for referral and even some degree of urgent care, and coordination between us, them and other VA facilities to get the level of care we need, in a timely manner.

  Chaplain, Randall Jacobsen of Ministers of Reconciliation & Education, is also the Post Chaplain for American Legion Post 19, VFW Post 651, Rolling Thunder Inc. IN-5 Muncie, and one of the Chaplains of the United Veterans Council of Delaware County. Randall is a U. S. Army Veteran of Vietnam, Europe, Korea, and more, and came to Muncie from Colorado Springs (Ft. Carson) as an ROTC Instructor and taught at Ball State University, Indiana Institute of Technology, and Indiana University / Purdue Universities of Ft Wayne in and decided to settle down with his wife Joyce, now married some 40 years in Muncie Indiana; and together operates Sow N Sews Custom Sewing as an outreach to the community and has the Army Navy Surplus of Muncie to support the Ministry and Sewing Outreach to keep the Ministry Expenses handled.

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