New VA Hospital director to vets: Give us a chance

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)  Between the protests and pauses, the Fort Wayne VA hospital received some negative attention in 2011.  On December 3, the hospital hired new director, Denise Deitzen.  In a one-on-one interview, Deitzen told NewsChannel 15 she hopes veterans will give the hospital’s new leadership a chance.

In October of 2012, Fort Wayne's VA hospital put a pause on both its Intensive Care and Acute Care Units.  Deitzen said leaders there wanted to complete an internal review in the hopes of improving.

Only part of the Acute Care Unit has since reopened.  Leaders hope the rest of it will open up the first half of 2013.  The future for intensive care is still uncertain, since the hospital is tackling issues one phase at a time.

“The unit that we put on pause back in October represents less than one percent of the work that we do…of the number of patients that we see over a year,” Deitzen said.  “Even while we were on pause, we were still providing care for veterans with our community partners.  So, no veterans have fallen through the cracks.”

Prior to taking the position, Deitzen said she was nurse for 27 years and had been an acting director six or seven other times.  Deitzen said she took the job because of her passion for veterans.

It’s a passion and experience she hopes will help ease some of the negative attention.

When asked what she would say to a skeptical veteran, Deitzen said, “We have been providing care.  The small piece that we haven't been has been the inpatient medicine.  We are improving it every day and when we open it, it will be even better than it was before.  Give us a chance.”

As new director of the Fort Wayne VA Hospital, Deitzen also hopes to improve communication with the community.