Deadly wait for Houston veterans

Published: Aug 19, 2024 Duration: 00:02:24 Category: News & Politics
Tags : news kriv fox_26 fox_26_houston
Trending searches: weather houston
legal analyst, Chris Tritico on this verdict. Well, only on Fox tonight. The long wait for veterans in Houston to get treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues is causing an uptick in suicide and overdoses. Fox 26 is. Randy Wallace joins us live now from the VA medical center with the exclusive Randy. Yeah. Anthony. Now the mission Act passed in 2018 gave veterans the right to seek treatment through a community care network. But some say since January, VA hospitals all over the country are circumventing that law with deadly consequences. You've asked that I not identify you to because you're worried that the VA might retaliate against. You could correct both of these veterans who had substance abuse issues of their own, are now working to help other vets struggling with drugs, PTSD and homelessness. How long are some veterans waiting to get substance abuse treatment? Yeah, I've had veterans wait over a month. There shouldn't be a wait because of the Mission Act, which became law in 2018, you could not get a mental health substance abuse within 30 minute drive of your residence, or a 20 day wait from when you needed it. Then you have the absolute right for community care provider in the network. In January, a mandate took away a veteran's right to get treatment sooner through a community provider and not the VA. According to the Red team report, the increasing number of veterans being referred for community health care and the rapidly rising costs are eroding the VA's direct care system. That means veterans are waiting longer for treatment, especially for substance abuse issues. There's an increase in the suicide rate, and many veterans are in danger, health care wise and suicide wise, because they're not getting the treatment or they're being told they have to wait. You know, of three veterans who committed suicide? I do while waiting. Correct? Yeah. That I was personally assisting myself. You believe there's at least 100 veterans since January that have needed substance abuse help, and they haven't gotten it at least at least at least 100. Now, we reached out to the VA hospital for response. We've yet to hear

Share your thoughts

Related Transcripts

Houston mother PLEADS for help to bring missing daughter home, demands answers thumbnail
Houston mother PLEADS for help to bring missing daughter home, demands answers

Category: News & Politics

More rain i'm expecting. and of course, how this could impact your holiday weekend coming up a little later. all right, rebecca, thank you. now at this hour, a galveston county mom wants your help bringing her missing daughter home. fox 26, is damali keith joining us live along mcgregor and third ward,... Read more

Houston lab’s breakthrough in cold cases thumbnail
Houston lab’s breakthrough in cold cases

Category: News & Politics

Tonight, a remarkable story of innovation and the pursuit of justice. for years, cold cases have haunted families and communities with countless crimes going unsolved because of degraded or contaminated evidence. but now there's this groundbreaking lab making a huge difference. and they're based right... Read more

Houston man shot to death by police officer, family wants answers thumbnail
Houston man shot to death by police officer, family wants answers

Category: News & Politics

Police department, leslie delasbour, fox 26 news. the family of a man who was shot to death by houston police officer earlier this month says they want answers. fox 26 is damali keith joins us in north houston. this is after speaking with them. don details how the shooting happened. according to hpd,... Read more

Daughter of former Houston Astros player Greg Swindell missing thumbnail
Daughter of former Houston Astros player Greg Swindell missing

Category: News & Politics

This is just so sad. the daughter of a former astros player is missing near austin. brenna swindell was last seen four days ago. reporter john kranjac from our sister station in austin is live with the latest on this. yeah. caroline rashi austin police and swindell's family say they are both concerned... Read more

Hurricane Francine: How St. Mary parish residents in Louisiana faced the storm thumbnail
Hurricane Francine: How St. Mary parish residents in Louisiana faced the storm

Category: News & Politics

Louisiana. brian kendrick, fox 26 news. well, our sherman desselle has spent the past few days in louisiana covering francine, and today he's showing us how people in saint mary parish made it through the storm. our meteorologist, john dawson, said it best. every storm has its own personality. and francine... Read more

Coastal flooding as Gulf storm forms | Forecasting With Friends thumbnail
Coastal flooding as Gulf storm forms | Forecasting With Friends

Category: News & Politics

Will change over time when the weather is fine. welcome to it. it's a tropical monday. bring it. let's see what we get, man. i tell you, mike, last night i'm here 4 p.m. that you know, and i knew that there was going to be a chance that they might name this at 4 p.m. yesterday, and they didn't. it was... Read more

Trump-Harris Debate: Campaigns agree to terms thumbnail
Trump-Harris Debate: Campaigns agree to terms

Category: News & Politics

Focusing on the race for the white house with just five days until the first and possibly only debate between former president trump and vice president harris. we are learning both sides have agreed to final rules for this face off. all right. so the biggest rule and the biggest one that was a question... Read more

Hurricane Francine makes landfall in Louisiana thumbnail
Hurricane Francine makes landfall in Louisiana

Category: News & Politics

Later. all right. thank you. sure. we're going to head over to fox 26. sherman to sell, who has been reporting on the hurricane all day from morgan city, louisiana, which is just about 30 miles from where that storm made landfall. we're out here in morgan city. we're actually about to relocate. we just... Read more

Houston's green push | Forecasting With Friends thumbnail
Houston's green push | Forecasting With Friends

Category: News & Politics

All right welcome to forecasting with friends where today we actually have legitimate friends and we actually have some really important stuff to talk about today uh instead of just showing you animal videos and all the stuff that we usually do so we're joined by lindsey row now lindsay is the president... Read more

Goodbye heat, hello rain | Forecasting With Friends thumbnail
Goodbye heat, hello rain | Forecasting With Friends

Category: News & Politics

A little change over time. is fine. hi hello. the weather was not fine on your drive in. as i understand it. let me tell you, it was an awful drive in when it hasn't rained for a couple weeks in houston. they people forget how to drive. they just. you either get the two aggressive driver who thinks... Read more

Hurricane Francine: Galveston left with high-water, flooding thumbnail
Hurricane Francine: Galveston left with high-water, flooding

Category: News & Politics

Sherman desselle, fox 46 news, sherman, thank you so much. and that community has been under a curfew since 11:00 here this morning back here locally. the good news in the area, the back end of that hurricane, hurricane francine. it just grazed by galveston. fox 26 is leslie delasbour spent the day... Read more

Houston Housing Authority accused of knowing about toxic contamination of housing project thumbnail
Houston Housing Authority accused of knowing about toxic contamination of housing project

Category: News & Politics

Florida, but it's not clear where it was headed. well, only on fox tonight. strong evidence emerging that the houston housing authority suppressed knowledge of toxic contamination when it asked the state to help financially back a low income housing project. that's right. fox 26 political reporter greg... Read more