Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today said he is pleased that Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary James Peake and other top level officials are beginning to follow through on a commitment to improve the service at the El Paso VA facility.

Peake today joined Bruce Stewart, director of the El Paso VA clinic, to discuss efforts underway to improve clinical care, access to care and staffing levels at the facility. In the past few months, the VA clinic has hired 52 health care professionals and is seeking to hire about 90 more.

“The VA is clearly taking steps to improve the quality of care at its El Paso clinic. I am particularly pleased to hear that more than 50 health care professionals have been hired in the past six months,” Bingaman said. “But this is just the beginning. There is a lot more work to do to ensure veterans in southern New Mexico have access to the kind of care they deserve.”

In addition to the new hires, the VA established evening clinic hours several days per week and is establishing an agreement with William Beaumont Army Medical Center to provide urgent care on evenings and weekends.

About 5,000 New Mexicans receive care at the El Paso facility. Bingaman has been pressing the VA to consider expanding its capacity at its Las Cruces clinic. Stewart today said the VA is exploring that possibility; he also said he is focused on efforts to improve the quality of service veterans get when they call to make appointments.

“It means a lot that Secretary Peake came to El Paso to outline his plans for improved service,” Bingaman said. “I’m glad he has set his sights on making improvements there. I am also pleased to see that he plans to work jointly with the Department of Defense to prepare for the anticipated growth at Ft. Bliss and the increased level of health care service that will require. And I pledge to assist them in any way I can.”