SELLS: In Vietnam I was a front-line infantry soldier.
I had never, to that point, ever even been in a fistfight
in my life.
To prepare one to be in a position to take,
or not, human life is a very confusing
and difficult proposition.
♪ MUSIC ♪
SELLS: For many years after I was released from Vietnam
I wandered about, mentally aimlessly and suffered
from the disease of alcoholism. I was not discussing the
ramifications of Vietnam on me physically and especially
mentally. I sought this campus, the VA out for recovery,
rehabilitation. I came, I saw, and they conquered.
The VA had changed.
BEITER: We really define patient centered care as providing
the most positive patient experience in a healing
environment each and every time we interact with a patient
and their family.
ROBERTSON: To me it goes back to putting the patients' needs
first and also anticipating their needs. Paying attention
enough to remember that this is a whole human being in front
of you and, you know, really treating them like they
were a family member. Or if you were in that bed, how would you
want to be treated? If your family member was in that bed,
how would you want someone to treat them?
SELLS: Both feet were suffering tremendously from arthritic
conditions that had deteriorated over the years.
They wanted to remove my cervical vertebrae, my neck if
you will, and insert a titanium rod. I could not see how that
was going to be done without a lifetime of pain pills.
However the VA offered alternatives,
which I was willing to try.
BEITER: A lot of our Veterans who are in pain are saying,
"Can you give us acupuncture?" You know, "Can you, can we,
do tai chi? That's a much more effective approach for me."
So it's really coming up with a plan of care that is very
personalized that the patient kind of agrees to, you know,
"I'm going to be engaged in this." In order to really move
forward, there are two things that I think you need to do.
One is I think you have to build the change into your structure
and make it part of what you do every day.
SELLS: So between tai chi, acupuncture, yoga, ultrasound,
and other chiropractic practices, between all of those
things, ever since 2009, I have not had to take one prescribed
pain pill for any particular reason.
ROBERTSON: Mr. Sells' story is so touching and every time I
hear it, it brings tears to my eyes, because it's so
profound that he was lost and came back to the VA. It also
reminds me that to keep offering these healing opportunities
for patients, it's an opportunity to bring in patients
who maybe have not been at the VA for a very long time.
So on many levels it's very inspiring and encouraging
and a good reminder to keep going and keep piloting
and to keep reaching out,
offering healing opportunities.
BEITER: What the patient remembers most is how they were
treated and how we interacted with them. So to me the absolute
building block to patient centered care is human
interactions and relationships, and if you don't have that,
I don't care what you have; you're not going to have
good patient centered care.
SELLS: What has happened to me in the last four years has
really restored my faith and removed all my skepticism
about the military and the U.S. and how we were treated.
And I am hoping, praying that other Veterans, who I
know are walking the streets in anguish and also in fear,
who are suffering from diseases and ailments that are associated
with their involvement in Vietnam, that some way anything
that I can do to reach them, to let them know that
the nation has heard. The government has responded.
The VA has changed and the services are here.
♪ MUSIC ♪ 0:29:49.090,1193:02:47.295 ♪ MUSIC ♪