Clinical Resource Hub Increases Veterans’ Access to Care
Dr. Samara Martinez is no stranger to military culture and what it means to serve. Born at Darnall Army Hospital at Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, her family’s military lineage dating back to World War II shaped her passion for the work she does today.
As a 13-year VA employee and primary care physician in the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network’s (VISN 8) Clinical Resource Hub, she provides “gap coverage” for facilities across VISN 8’s network of hospitals and clinics located in Florida, South Georgia, and the Caribbean.
More simply, if a clinic is down a primary care physician or clinic capacity exceeds what the staff can handle, Martinez can provide help to ensure Veterans do not go without care.
“Clinical Resource Hubs ensure that distance does not hinder Veterans from receiving medical and specialty care” Martinez explained.
“As a CRH provider, we use technology, like VA Video Connect (VVC), Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT), and in-person appointments to maximize health care access,” she said.
Residing in Texas with her family, Martinez primarily provides medical care using virtual methods like VVC and CVT. She also completes in-person appointments for one week at a time every 90 days.
With CVT, patients check in at their local VA clinic for their scheduled appointment and meet their provider through a large computer monitor with assistance from a nurse. The real-time transmission of heartbeats, breath sounds, and images via stethoscope, otoscope, and camera allows for a thorough remote medical exam.
VVC, a secure videoconferencing app, allows Veterans to log into their appointments from anywhere using a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone.
“Not only do these virtual care modalities offer convenience, but patients’ access to health care is significantly enhanced, especially for Veterans in rural communities,” Martinez said.
Accessibility, convenience, and ease are all words used by patients and their spouses like Lori Simmons, the wife of 79-year-old U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran Hubert Simmons.
Both are residents of rural Moultrie, Ga. located about 45 minutes away from the Valdosta VA Clinic where Hubert receives care. Lori attends all medical appointments with her husband and helps manage his care.
When the clinic was down multiple providers, Dr. Martinez stepped in to provide coverage to ensure patients would not experience long delays in care.
“She [Martinez] is just sweet and kind. You know immediately that she cares about you. She is the best thing that ever happened to my husband,” Lori said.
“He was able to improve his health dramatically working with her, which gave me the opportunity to improve my own health,” she continued. “People don’t realize sometimes how impactful it can be when you put your own health care aside to help care for others.”
Local clinic staff also see CRH and virtual care provision as very important tools to ensure the continuity of care for Veterans who may live far away from clinics or have difficulty traveling.
“Telehealth is a vital tool to reaching Veterans who may not be able to come to VA due to distance, family, or other challenges of daily life,” said Linda Showell, a licensed practical nurse and U.S. Army Veteran who works at the Valdosta VA Clinic.
“Although not the same as an in-person visit, virtual appointments still allow patients the ability to see and speak directly to a provider, discuss lab results, refill medications, ask questions, complete examinations, and so much more,” Showell said. “More importantly, the patients have peace of mind knowing they are being cared for and there is no lapse in the health care services they need.”
Showell worked jointly with Martinez for 18 months while the doctor provided coverage for the clinic and echoed the sentiment voiced by Veterans about her passion and dedication to the VA health care mission.
“When it comes to Dr. Martinez, I could write a book about her kindness, great spirit, and attitude,” Showell said.
“She is a true professional who treats each Veteran with the kindness and respect they deserve. Our entire team is very grateful that we had the opportunity to work with her.”
According to Dr. Veronica Sikka, Chief of Virtual Care, Clinical Contact Center and CRH, VISN 8, the CRH program has grown in capability and the number of personnel who staff the service since its launch in 2019. The CRH currently employs a total of 27 clinicians including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, and pharmacists.
The program was operationalized simultaneously with the launch of VISN 8’s Clinical Contact Center, also known as VA Health Connect – a virtual urgent and tele-emergency care service available to Veterans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Today, all of VA’s health care networks operate CRH programs, the size and scope of which vary based on patient population and demographics, clinic capacity, geographic location, and other factors.
To learn more about VA Clinical Resource Hubs, please visit: www.patientcare.va.gov/primarycare/CRH.asp. Veterans interested in enrolling for VA health care services and learning about other benefits can visit www.va.gov.