VA Secretary Doug Collins visits Houston VA
Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins had his first visit to Houston as VA secretary on Wednesday morning, July 9.
While at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, he met with leadership and viewed two state-of-the-art surgical robots that are helping Houston Veterans experience enhanced surgical outcomes and quicker recovery times. Houston VA was the first VA to implement the new Da Vinci 5 robotic systems.
Secretary Collins was also able to recognize five exceptional staff members for their outstanding service and unwavering commitment to caring for our nation’s Veterans.
One such employee, Francisco Escobar, RN case manager with Home Based Primary Care and Vietnam Veteran, went above and beyond in May to assist a fellow Vietnam Veteran who lost his purple heart medal. When the Veteran could not locate it, Escobar was able to order a replacement medal and present to the Veteran. Secretary Collins was honored to present Escobar with a coin to recognize his efforts.
The Houston visit came a few days after the VA announced it’s on pace to reduce total VA staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025, eliminating the need for a large-scale reduction-in-force.