University of Michigan, VA Hospitals Strengthen Ties
Ann Arbor residents have always had access to excellent health care facilities, but the level of care just increased for area veterans because of the strengthened alliance between the University of Michigan and the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Ann Arbor.
The University of Michigan (U of M) and the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Hospital announced in late October their plan to Lease a new 24,600-square-foot research facility on the U of M campus and to staff it with 150 researchers from the Ann Arbor VA's Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR.)
Benefits of New UM/VA Alliance
The move will consolidate research work at the facility to the benefit of veterans throughout the U.S. Said Dr. Eve Kerr, director of CCMR, in a recent press release: "From improving treatment of chronic conditions to preventing suicides and enhancing hospital care, all of us are eager to make an impact on care through research."
About the UM/VA Research Partnership
The majority of the researchers tapped for this initiative have joint appointments to CCMR and U of M Medical School, the School of Public Health or the School of Nursing. The primary goal of the project is to find cost-effective ways to manage common chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These include increasing the ways that patients can self-manage their care. A second group of researchers will focus on ways to manage veterans' mental health problems and to help reduce suicides and drug overdoses. The move to the new space is expected to be completed by early 2013.
About Ann Arbor VA Hospital
In addition to the research facility, the Ann Arbor VA Hospital offers a wide range of health care services, including a 105-bed acute care hospital, a 40-bed extended care facility, a mental health care center and a program to offer quality health care to homeless veterans. The center also manages satellite health care facilities in Flint and Jackson, Michigan and in Toledo, Ohio.
The number of veterans using VA facilities across the United States has increased dramatically within the last five years. More than 57,000 southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio veterans used the Ann Arbor VA health care facilities in 2012, up 24 percent from 2007.
