Top leaders with the Department of Veterans Affairs met with members of congress, VA employees and other stakeholders in Phoenix Wednesday.
The stakeholder meetings were not open to the public. At a press conference Wednesday morning, Rima Nelson, the Phoenix medical center's new director, told reporters she hopes to continue talking to VA staff through personal meetings and town halls.
"Starting this afternoon I’m going to go around meet as many employees as we can and continue to do that in the upcoming weeks," she said. "And meet them in the areas that they work so that they can hear from me personally."
The VA faced harsh criticism last week after news broke that Nelson would be the Phoenix Medical Center’s new director. Several member of congress were concerned about her leadership record at other facilities. At issue was a report from the St. Louis VA over an incident when dental equipment was not properly sanitized.
VA Under Secretary of Health David Shulkin responded to that Wednesday arguing Nelson’s decision to temporarily shut the dental clinic down was a big reason why they chose her for this job.
"That to me suggests that we want leaders who know how to make decisions," he said. "Who act on behalf of veterans and put patient safety as a top priority."
VA officials also took questions about a new inspector general report that showed the Phoenix medical center is still struggling with specialty care scheduling. Shulkin acknowledged the VA’s scheduling system is “archaic” and that they still have work to do. But, he stressed no allegations of corruption were substantiated.
According to Shulkin, the VA is working to replace the agency's current medical appointment scheduling system.
