Editorial: A 21st-century vision for care of veterans

Advisory panel looks beyond troubles at Minneapolis home.

Last update: October 21, 2007 - 4:04 PM

"Be bold."

That was Gov. Tim Pawlenty's admonition earlier this year when he launched a special commission to address recurring care problems at the Minneapolis Veterans Home.

Before the group began its work in May, the state had cited the home with more than 60 rule violations over two years. Medical errors were found to have contributed to the deaths of three veterans at the home, and at one point the state Health Department threatened not to renew its license.

Fines and other costs associated with problems at the home grew to more than $1 million. Conditions at the 102-year-old facility were at a tipping point.

With that troubling backdrop, it would have been understandable if the commission had focused solely on solving care problems at the 402-bed facility. But at Pawlenty's urging, commission members have taken a much deeper look at the role the homes play in the lives of Minnesota veterans.

As the group prepares to make its recommendations to the governor later this month, addressing quality of care at the Minneapolis home has to be the priority. The home must have the systems, culture and leadership to ensure that it remains in regulatory compliance. It should be a given that veterans will receive outstanding care.

One key recommendation from the commission will be whether to retain the voluntary board that oversees the home's operations or transfer governance to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. That's an important question, but the commission's work so far suggests its recommendations will go further.

The commission is looking at ways the state's five veterans homes can break from a 1950s model of care and become more modern facilities that contribute to the well-being of a larger number of the state's 400,000 veterans. Minnesota is a leader in innovative long-term care, which makes it even more startling that veterans are stuck in another era.

One promising draft recommendation describes a future in which veterans homes would become "centers of excellence" offering state-of-the-art care in chronic disease management, mental health, nursing and housing. The homes could offer a variety of alternatives to nursing home care, including home services and assisted living.

The commission is looking at ways the five homes could more effectively coordinate programs with federal Veterans Administration Medical Centers and the University of Minnesotan's regional Geriatric Education Centers. The Minneapolis facility and the four smaller homes in Fergus Falls, Hastings, Luverne and Silver Bay should share resources more effectively.

The five facilities have a total of 863 beds, so only a fraction of the state's veterans and their spouses will ever live in them. That's why it's important to look for ways the homes can have a broader impact.

The needs of Minnesota's veterans are changing. Many are living longer: More than 150,000 are older than 65, and many want to live independently. Traumatic brain injuries are a growing problem for Iraq vets, and veterans homes could work more closely with the VA medical centers to address their housing and care needs.

Minnesota has the resources and expertise to make its veterans homes models for quality and innovation. We owe veterans the best possible long-term solutions.

It's time to be bold.

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