Missing Veteran found at a VA hospital
Nearly 800,000 people are reported missing every year in the U.S. but recently, at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System or CAVHCS, a nurse manager found a missing Veteran in VA care.
Assistant Nurse Manager Carmalita McElroy was working a late shift when she was alerted of a missing man on her news feed. After a quick study of the photo, she realized he was admitted to a CAVHCS facility.
“I immediately sent the news feed to my nurse manager and chief nurse via text message, letting them know what had come across my phone and that the patient was on our floor,” McElroy said.
The team began to take action and verify all the Veteran’s information.
“I asked if the Veteran was doing well in our care, how long the Veteran had been missing, and why we didn’t know the Veteran had a family. I immediately went up my chain of command and notified our Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Services [Sandra Foster] via a three-way call with the Assistant Nurse Manager Carmalita McElroy, who repeated what was said in the WSFA 12 news feed,” said Associate Chief Nurse Lisa Nott.
The 72-year-old Veteran had been admitted through the Emergency Department to the Medical Surgical Unit on December 13, 2022, with complaints of suicidal thoughts. He remained alert and oriented throughout his hospital stay but declined to identify a caregiver or family member.
“We are so happy that the Veteran was found safe before the holiday season,” said CAVHCS Director/CEO Amir Farooqi. “Our VA police contacted the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department for awareness and to notify the family.”
The CAVHCS team worked quickly to ensure the Veteran was taken care of and convinced him to contact his family to ease their worries.
“I love working with the Veterans. You get to see a different side of them. The side that lets you know that they are individuals in this world, under a special umbrella,” McElroy said. “Sometimes that listening ear gets them on track to what they want or, more importantly, need.
CAVHCS takes pride in providing the best patient experience to all Veterans in any situation.
“Customer Service is of the utmost importance when caring for our Veterans because they are more than patients. They sacrificed to serve us all, and now they deserve the right for us all to work together for them to have the best outcome at every interaction,” said Nott.
“The Veteran needs to be at the center of care, which means providing treatment and ensuring the Veteran and their families have positive experiences each and every time,” Nott added.