Amarillo VA Health Care System

Initially, I was pleased with the Amarillo VA hospital but it has failed to keep true doctors. Most everyone that I see is a PA or I have to go through community care which is also difficult because most doctors don't want to live in Amarillo and it is another ordeal in itself. There is apparently tons of money being spent to make the place look nicer. I wish they would have used that money to keep or hire quality physicians.

I was waiting in line behind 4 other people to get breakfast at the cafe. Then the cook turns around at 1 minute after 1000 and announces they are no longer doing breakfast. This is a bunch of crap. One cannot get breakfast after waiting in line. WTH. They also stopped offering different size drinks and stop offering Dr. Pepper instead they sell Mr. Pibb. I did not like that stuff in bootcamp and will not drink it now. The Cafe workers are inconsiderate and obnoxious. DO NOT EAT HERE. THE PRICES ARE GOOD BUT NOTHING ELSE IS.

What an incredible VA medical facility. I drive 8 hours to the VA in Amarillo because it takes 18+ months or more to be seen at other VA facilities. There are veterans who travel from Albuquerque and Oklahoma City (both cities have VA's) to be seen at the VA in Amarillo. Oh, there was a guy who traveled from Longview, TX to the VA in Amarillo (also an 8-hour trip) because he was as impressed as I was. The VA in Amarillo has been squared away for YEARS, and I wish the VA would just copy what they are doing in Amarillo because they are THE model to follow. I used to live in South Texas and dealt with the VA in Brownsville which was a joke. It took me over 18 months to get my first appointment, and they treat you like they have better things to be doing. It took repeated phone calls to finally get an appointment in Brownsville, and that only happened because I traveled to that facility and requested to speak to a manager who got me an appointment two months later. When I called them to set up an appointment, they would always say they would have a scheduler call me (and they never would). I never received a call back. Then I moved to Austin, and I could get an appointment at VA Cedar Park two or three months later, but they would always call the week before and reschedule for a few months down the road. This kept happening until the last appointment they scheduled me for December 24, 2024. I asked them if they would be open on Christmas Eve and the scheduler assured me they would. But a week before my appointment, they rescheduled me for May, 2025. That would have been two years since I tried getting my appointment. I told them I would just switch from Cedar Park VA outpatient clinic to Amarillo. I switched my primary care to Team Independence in Amarillo. I called the VA in Amarillo and had my appointment the same week. I just completed another appointment that I requested on a Tuesday and my appointment was Thursday, two days later. On top of that, one of my hearing aids broke and while I was there for my Dr appointment, I walked over to Audiology without an appointment and they fixed my hearing aid within 5 minutes. The pharmacy is also highly squared away in Amarillo. So making the trip from Austin to Amarillo isn't fun, but I just spend the night and get my VA appointment early the next morning so I can head home (7.5 - 8 hrs one way). It's worth it. Everyone treats you like you are the only patient they have. I can't say enough good stuff about this facility.

**Please be aware** As a vet, I learned the hard way this VA facility uses unlicensed, non-credentialed, uneducated "care providers" and calls them "doctors" and "nurses." Including, the oncology unit. As for the mental health unit, it is not well. Disorganized, non patient focused. As for the lab, numerous times, my labs sat around too long, which gives erroneous results. Two off campus doctors discovered it, and reported it. My suggestion is, do your due diligence and run the provider's name through the Texas Medical Board. (Online). Verify licensure and certs. Read thoroughly. This V.A. compliance unit claims they have "every right" to hire people that aren't licensed and that doctors and nurses -- "are not required" to be licensed or have any special education to work there. They are wrong. Perhaps have these unlicensed, off-the-street hires work on their own family ----- meanwhile, you, the vet, have every right to have a credentialed, licensed, educated care provider working on you. This place needs to be shut down.

Came in with some kinda stomach bug. Couldn't keep fluids down. Things were going great until they discovered i had Marijuana in my system. I immediately became a druggie who doesn't merit care. It made me cry. I did 4 years. 2 in Iraq and came home with ptsd. So yeah. I self medicated. And got treated like garbage for it. That hurt..... alot. FYI still cant keep anything down. But I won't be treated like that. So I left. Id rather suffer