The VA worked with the public service Ad Council to create the large TV campaign, which it held back through the winter before the waiting list scandal broke this spring. It is unclear when, or if, the campaign will be released, according to the report.
The VA is now adjusting its outreach to be more apologetic rather than promotional, according to the report. But some say the amount of money invested in the TV ads and the moral imperative to care for veterans means the department should run them.
Tommy Sowers, former assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs at the VA, worked with the department when the campaign was produced, according to the report.
“We’ve already paid for it,” he told NPR. “Seventeen of the 22 veterans [who] take their life every day have never sought VA healthcare. That’s where, I think, some of the focus must be – on better outreach and making sure that veterans know and understand their benefits. And when they do, that will require more resources.”
Joe Curtin, VA director of outreach, said the department is in a “new situation” now. “And again, our priority is to get our veterans off these waiting lists and into healthcare. That is our priority right now,” he said in the report.
More Articles on VA Healthcare:
VA Update: Medical Centers With the Longest Wait Times
Senate Passes VA Reform
Finding Physicians for the VA Will Be No Easy Task
