Black veteran pushing for equal care at VA medical facilities
Steve Abrams experienced frustrations while obtaining care from a VA Medical Center. He described the doctors as “standoffish” and “threatened.” He said that the doctors, interacting with him, felt this way due to his race. He had to go through a few doctors before he could find someone who could properly treat him for his mental health and PTSD. Abrams points to a shortage of cultural competency on the medical staff’s part. The cultural barrier is both military and racial.
From GBH:
“I hear the stories and I work through those pains and issues,” he explained, “and I just help veterans breathe, as I have.”
Abrams attributed the mistreatment of Black veterans, like himself, to a lack of cultural competency among health care providers. He said health care providers don’t always understand the military culture or racial culture. For example, he said Black people often express their feelings and stress in different ways than white people, and if a doctor doesn’t understand that, they can’t provide adequate treatment.
“We need to see people who look like us. … We need the help of African American veterans, because we are standing in the way, right now, of people’s lives being progressed,” he said.
Black veterans have the highest disparities in health concerns. A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows that Black veterans are denied benefits at a higher rate. For PTSD disability claims specifically, 55% of Black veterans who applied for benefits were denied, compared to 44% for white veterans.
Abrams clarified that even though these issues are ongoing, there have been significant improvements. The VA this summer announced a new equity team to assess why benefits are being distributed unequally and work to close those gaps.
GBH provides additional information here.
Category: Veterans in the news
“Excuse me, stewardess, but I speak jive”
Nicely played.
First time dealing with the VA snowflake???
“Steve Abrams experienced frustrations while obtaining care from a VA Medical Center. He described the doctors as “standoffish” and “threatened.”
We screw over more veterans before 9:00 AM than most federal agencies screw over veterans all day.
US Veterans Administration
Deny, deny, until veterans die!
Hearing other VA stories, it isn’t a black care v white care, and who gets treated better.
Both black/white/brown/spotted people get treated equally bad.
It all depends on which doctor or health care worker you draw. I’ve had great, good and bad experiences over the decades of VA and civilian care.
Single-payer gov’t healthcare, for ya– left/libtards should try it before they force it on everyone else.
I’ll take this man’s description at face value, but…
Since he’s being treated for PTSD, I wonder if the kind of things he’s relating to the docs might be scaring the shit out of them and not the color of his skin.
I’m not saying this would happen with this gentleman, but when I was working in a hospital many moons ago as an orderly, we had a patient who sort of started losing it and would become violent.
We called for a shrink to come up and talk to her and when he arrived the charge nurse warned the psych resident about her violent tendencies. The psychiatrist in training poo-pooed the warning and sat himself directly opposite her and as close as he could get.
All of a sudden there was a yelp and next thing you know the patient was leading the doc around the nursing station…by his nuts. She got them in an iron grip and would…not…let…go. Well, EVENTUALLY she did.
Needless to say, after all was said and done, we almost DIED laughing.
Having written all that, I hope the VA gets to the bottom of this and this man gets the treatment that he needs. Good luck to you, sir!
Macho Grande for him, you know…
That other incident… well, like this:
Or maybe he’s an asshole.
A professional Afro-American.
Hassles from The Man, you know…
Oh FFS! “…cultural competency…”?!? DaHell??!!!?? Maybe you feel that way because for the last 50+ years your culture has developed a “gimmie you owe me more more more more” attitude? From what I’ve read on this site, in many VA Facilities, ALL Vets are considered, “…you are all equally worthless to me…” (ht 2 Gunny). Full disclosure…I have never used any VA Medical Facility, tho I may and or may not have “Service Connected” medical issues. I do know that my hearing has been steadily deteriorating since my Service, but didn’t want to jump thru the hoops or deal with the VA. In my AO are a number of VA Medical Facilities that I know of. And a number of Vets of ALL races use them and get, mostly, decent care. News flash…the majority of the Health Care Providers are…wait for it….Black.
Like any other business, and as in Real Estate…Location location location. And as in any business, the attitude of the “customer” will affect the service that is rendered. Me Thinks the man doth protest too much. YMMV
I know we vets are special, but the VA provides mass production medical care provided by government employees because it deals with a massive “customer” base. If someone wants individualized, “boutique” medical care that focuses on their “special” cultural needs, they need to look elsewhere. .
Next!
This is like the stories of shitty service at Denny’s a few years back. Denny’s ALWAYS has shitty service. Doesn’t matter if you are dressed in klan regalia or just got off the boat from Jamaica.
Personally, I have high praise for the VAMC in my area. They replaced both hips in 2017 & 2018 and did a great job with both surgeries and rehab. This year I developed a hernia and intestinal bowel syndrome (IBS) at the same time. The hernia repair was scheduled quickly, done by rTAPP (a robotic technique), and I was out of the hospital the same day. My primary care doctor is a PA and he did all the right things to diagnose and treat the IBS. It is now resolved. At all times, the VAMC was most professional. Additionally, the VAMC keeps track of things and assures that I get wellness tests plus any medications come in the mail.
Steven Carl Abrams of Brockton, MA:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-c-abrams-78a62213b
“Peer Counselor at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsUMass Boston College of Public and Community Service”
“About:
NCO Consulting inc.
Our Road to Recovery”
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrams-steve-5bb96117
“VA Peer Support Specialist..The Road to Recovery
VA Medical Center
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States”
“About:
GOD Chaser”
“Experience:
“Veterans Administration Health Care
VA Medical Center
Sep 2007 – Present16 years 1 month”
“Greater Boston Area”
“I’m a Peer Support Specialist in the VAH Mental Health Department.As a trained & Certified Peer Support specialist, My lived experieance allows me to assist others by promoting and modeling wellness and recovery, living throught emotional & psychological difficulties, I encourage each veteran to see themselves through their capabilites not thier limitations.(NCO4LIFE)”
Peer Counselor = Validator of My Whining BS… should be more like:
Show of hands who doesn’t like R Lee Ermey.
Yeah, I didn’t think there would be many.
I have seen it a hundred times, but it still makes me laugh out loud.
From the looks of his uniform and lack of a CIB or a CAB, I am smelling a REMF. I would like to know what “trauma” caused his PTS of D. For someone who retired in the past ten years or so, I am seeing a shortage of bling on those blues.
“Lesley Launches Veterans’ Resource Center & Lounge”
https://lesley.edu/news/lesley-launches-veterans-resource-center-lounge
“About 70 people from across campus and beyond were on hand Friday morning for the official launch of the Veterans’ Resource Center & Lounge, a small but important nook on the third floor of University Hall, right next to the Porter Café.”
“On the wall outside the center are fine, laser-cut wood carvings of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard emblems, which were brought to Lesley by art therapy student Steve Abrams, a retired Army soldier and outreach coordinator for the veterans services division of the Brockton, Mass., mayor’s office.”
“The smallest step in the right direction can make the biggest difference (and) change a lot of lives,” Abrams said during the ceremony. Ferraro, Abrams’s academic advisor, said he is overwhelmed at the work Abrams put into the resource center.”
“Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Steven Abrams, of the 54th Regiment of the National Guard, right, talks to kids about tools such as the bayonet used in the U.S. Civil War at the New Life Christian Church in Brockton, just before the kids went before church members to perform songs on Cultural Sunday on Feb. 19, 2023.”
“New Life Christian Church In Brockton Holds Annual Cultural Sunday Event”
https://www.enterprisenews.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2023/02/22/brockton-new-life-christian-church-cultural-sunday/11302979002/
“…talks to kids about tools such as the bayonet used in the U.S. Civil War at the New Life Christian Church in Brockton, just before the kids went before church members to perform songs on Cultural Sunday on Feb.”
Now that’s funny. Right up there with “Kill a commie for Christ”. Sadly, my religious education was lacking–the only time we discussed weapons in sunday school was about beating swords into plowshares. I had to look elsewhere to learn about rifles, bayonets, and such.
😉😎👍👍👍👌👌👌
He who beats his sword into a plowshare ends up plowing for the motherfucker who didn’t.
Or, as said by Clint, in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:
BLONDIE!!!!!
You know what you are?
You’re a dirty son of a….
From the cleanliness of his uniform and that immaculate canteen strap, it is obvious that he is no Civil War reenactor. After about two dozen events, one’s gear and uniform looks like it went through the war.
“Brockton To Commemorate 50th Anniversary Of Vietnam War”
https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/2016/03/25/brockton-to-commemorate-50th-anniversary/32046844007/
“Hundred of people will gather together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, according to Steve Abrams.”
“We’re having 50-100 known veterans, congressional leaders, Mayor Bill Carpenter, along with families and friends,” said Abrams, Retired US Army and VFW Post 1046 Champlain.”
“Post 1046 is different that other VFW’s, since they offer therapeutic activities and encouragement to connect with their Veterans Hospital, according to Abrams.”
“commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War”
Well, happy anniversary. Did they have cake and ice cream?
Did Massachusetts resident and World Climate Guru John Kerry attend, and if so, did he bring his medals that he may or may not have thrown over the White House fence? He was probably too busy depleting the ozone in some 3rd World Country on the private jet that he does not own.
Maybe John Kerry was the one hiding a girl in a locker in a previous post. You know, before he discovered money in politics, climate change and ketchup.
Doubtful…
Maybe another Professional Victim upset that he didn’t get the response he wanted upon flashing his ACME® Race Card™?
I bet they didn’t thank him for his service.
Perpetual victimhood.