In early 2020, after 4 decades as an intensive care unit nurse, Bruce Kook needed a change. The Air Force and Navy Veteran took a nursing job with a new VA program: the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center. The Clinical Contact Center provides 24/7 virtual care and support to Veterans in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
At first, Kook wasn’t sure if virtual care would be effective. He soon learned for himself just how valuable it could be. A few months after taking the job, he was working on his boat and scraped his leg. The next morning, he discovered that the wound had developed a nasty infection. “I’m looking at this thing and thinking, ‘This is not good.’”
Kook weighed his options. He could go to the emergency room where he would likely have to wait to be seen. He could go to the local urgent care, but they didn’t have his medical records, and he was concerned that certain antibiotics could interact negatively with his medications. So, he chose a third option: He called the Clinical Contact Center where he worked.
Within 30 minutes, the call center triage nurse arranged a VA Video Connect visit with a VA provider. An hour after the visit, Kook was picking up the medicine he needed at the Orlando VA. “I had that problem resolved within 2 hours of making a phone call. I believe in the work we do. I can’t say enough good things about it.”
Since opening, the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center has fielded more than 6 million calls from Veterans.
