On Dec. 21, The Forum published an opinion by Stacy Ruud. Ruud was critical of the care provided to her father at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fargo.
On behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fargo, I extend my sympathies to Ruud on the loss of her father. I want her to know we take the comments expressed in her opinion very seriously and will work with her and colleagues at the VA Regional Office as we review each of the issues she described.
Our goal in VA is to provide the finest quality, compassionate care to America's heroes. The caring employees of the Fargo VA Medical Center are part of a system described earlier this year by Time Magazine as "the best healthcare in America."
In my short time in Fargo, I have heard from many patients, family members and veterans' service organization representatives describing the outstanding service provided by our staff. We are constantly surveyed by outside review organizations (Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, VA Office of the Inspector General, College of American Pathologists, Veterans Service Organizations) with consistent, quality results.
We grieve for Ruud and her family while striving to continually improve our services to veterans. The dedicated doctors, nurses, therapists and support personnel of the Fargo VA Medical Center are committed to honor the sacred credo espoused by President Abraham Lincoln to "serve him who hath borne the battle" with honor and compassion.
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Robert P. McDivitt, FACHE
Medical Center director
Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Fargo
