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Veteran Experience Office

In the Veteran Experience Office (VEO), our goal is to improve the experience of all Veterans who participate in our care. Some of the ways we do this are through problem solving, education, and continuous process improvement projects.

Connect with a patient advocate

Within the Veteran Experience Office, we have the Patient Advocate Team. This team was established to promote positive experiences for all  Veterans. A fundamental value in VHA is for all Veterans and their families, who are served in, or through, VHA facilities and clinics to have their priorities and needs addressed in a proactive, convenient, and timely manner.

The patient advocates at Bay Pines VA are specially trained to help you resolve issues with your care. If you've experienced any problems that you haven't been able to resolve by talking with your care team, please reach out to one of our patient advocates.

Our patient advocates are located on the first floor of the C.W. Bill Young main hospital (bldg. 100) on our Bay Pines campus, Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and also in the Lee County VA Healthcare Center, Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you experience a problem at any of our locations, please call one of our patient advocates to discuss. If you are unable to reach them using the information listed below, please call .

You can also contact us through secure messaging on My HealtheVet.

A woman sits in front of a blue background for her portrait. She is smiling and there is an American flag over her left shoulder.

Carrie Adams

Consumer Affairs Specialist - Patient Advocate Supervisor

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

Photo of a man with a beard and short hair, smiling. He is sitting in front of a blue background and there is an American flag over his left shoulder.

Donald Harris

Lead Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

A woman sits smiling for an official portrait. She sits in front of a dark blue background and over her left shoulder is the American Flag.

Tamika McGriff

Patient Relations Assistant

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

A woman sits in front of a blue background for her portrait. She is smiling and there is an American flag over her left shoulder.

Justine Brennan

Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

Portrait of woman, Karla Bruce, smiling with an American flag over her left shoulder.

Karla Bruce

Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

A man sits in front of a blue background for his portrait. He is smiling and there is an American flag over his left shoulder.

Vincen Evans

Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

Portrait of a woman with short hair, wearing glasses and smiling. She is sitting in front of a blue background and the American flag is over her left shoulder.

Pamela Malanik

Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

A woman sits in front of a blue background for her portrait. She is smiling and there is an American flag over her left shoulder.

Kristyn Yurkovich

Patient Representative

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 727-398-6661, ext. 15024

A woman stands smiling for her portrait.

Carolina Saavedra

Patient Relations Assistant, Lee County Healthcare Center

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 239-652-1800, ext. 21499

A woman sits in front of a blue background for her portrait. She is smiling and there is an American flag over her left shoulder.

Mariluz Gomez

Patient Representative, Lee County Healthcare Center

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 239-652-1800, ext. 21499

A woman sits in front of a blue background for her portrait. She is smiling and there is an American flag over her left shoulder.

Helena 'Lisa' Lawton

Patient Representative, Lee County Healthcare Center

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 239-652-1800, ext. 21499

A man sits in front of a blue background for his portrait. He is smiling and there is an American flag over his left shoulder.

Jesus 'Jesse' Montiel, Jr.

Patient Representative, Lee County Healthcare Center

VA Bay Pines health care

Phone: 239-652-1800, ext. 21499

Feedback

Your feedback is important to us. After your appointment, you may receive a quick email survey asking about your latest visit. This is called Veteran Signals, or V-Signals. It has less than 10 multiple choice questions and is a great and quick way to let us know how things are going.

We also gather feedback through the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients, or SHEP. This survey comes through the mail. It is a comprehensive look at your experience. While it takes a bit longer to complete, it provides us valuable information on how we can improve care for all Veterans who come to Bay Pines VA.

  • Learn more about how patient advocates support Veterans at VA and what the process of working with one is like.

  • Learn about your rights and responsibilities as a patient at VA.

  • Learn about your rights and responsibilities as a family member who may be helping a Veteran make decisions about their care.

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