VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network

Rural Health

Community Clinic

Did you know there are 28 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics throughout Southern California and Southern Nevada?
Please visit our Locations page for details.

Rural Health in VA Greater Los Angeles

Rural health issues are somewhat different in the Greater Los Angeles area because the population is larger and complex health care services are more readily available than in rural areas. Geographic access is worsened by heavy traffic showing that distance alone is not the only factor in getting to care.

Many rural Veterans lack access to emergency and specialty care. Although, many patients have Millennium Bill eligibility for local emergency care; they still choose to drive to the West LA Emergency Room in an effort to avoid co-payments in high-risk situations. Some services offered by VA are also readily available from private providers in their own community, such as x-rays and physical and occupational therapies. Mental health rehabilitative services, such as substance abuse, are also problematic in rural areas. VA housing options are not readily available locally, however, changes are coming through VA Supportive Housing (VASH).

For all of these difficulties, VA Telehealth Clinics can help. An example is the Tele-Mental Health Clinics at Oxnard, Lancaster, and San Luis Obispo, which have been particularly helpful in closing some mental health care gaps. Personal service is often better at clinics serving rural patients because of their smaller size and the personal commitment of the providers who work and live locally. This is shown through PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team), a team of health care professionals working together to provide health and wellness to Veterans. The PACT teams at the clinics and the hospital focus on partnering with Veterans to give them the best and most appropriate care using a variety of methods and team members (physicians, nurses, administrative staff, and other staff depending on the Veteran’s need). One of the ways toward this is through the use of telehealth, connecting the patient at the clinic with a provider at the hospital.

Resources 

VHA Office of Rural Health (ORH) 
VA's Office of Tribal Government Relations
The Clergy Connection, Rural Clergy Newsletter
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health * 
National Rural Health Association * 
National Center for Frontier Communities * 
Inter-Tribal Council of California, Inc. * 
Indian Health Service * 

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