VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System now offers Tele-Emergency Care services for local enrolled Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs is pleased to announce the addition of tele-emergency care services for enrolled Veterans in the Cleveland area. Enrolled Veterans can access this new service at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center by dialing (216) 791-3800 and pressing “3,” effective immediately. Medical triage staff are available 24/7 and will guide the Veteran to the appropriate level of care, including tele-emergency care. 

Tele-emergency care (tele-EC) offers Veterans many of the same services they can receive in a traditional emergency room, but from the comfort of their own home. This helps prevent the Veteran from having to drive in, potentially wait for hours in a waiting room, minimizes exposure to illnesses from other patients, etc. There is also no co-pay for these services.  Further, choosing to utilize the VA for emergency care, whether through the tele-EC or in-person services, ensures a smooth continuity of care as the Veteran’s medical providers will already have access to the Veteran’s full medical record. 

While Veterans with life-or-limb-threatening injuries or illnesses should go to an in-person emergency room or call 911, tele-EC can serve Veterans with a wide variety of conditions, including:

• Cough, cold, flu, and COVID symptoms
• Sore throats
• COPD and asthma flares
• Eye redness and irritation
• Tick and other insect bites
• Skin infections
• Minor allergic reactions
• GI illnesses
• Urinary tract infections
• Gout flares
• Muscle sprains/strains
   

ABOUT VA NORTHEAST OHIO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: Focusing on treating the whole Veteran through health promotion and disease prevention, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System provides comprehensive, seamless health care and social services for more than 134,000 Veterans across Northeast Ohio. With 17 locations of care, including 12 outpatient clinics, two community resource and referral centers, a psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery center, a chronic dialysis center, and an outpatient surgery center, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System’s quality services are easily accessible to Veterans in 21 counties. VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System also contributes to the future of medicine through education, training, and research programs.

For more information about programs and services offered by VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, visit www.cleveland.va.gov or follow us on Facebook @ClevelandVAMC.  

Damien Horvath, Public Affairs Officer

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