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SHOULD A VA HOSPITAL HAVE VALET PARKING? --

The Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio does,

but not everyone's impressed.

 

 

Story here... http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/
metro/stories/MYSA050407.EWTK
valets.KENS.39b42765.html

Story below:

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Should VA hospital offer valet parking?

Fred Lozano
KENS 5 Eyewitness News

Valet parking is supposed to be a luxury, but is it necessary at a government-run hospital, or does someone have their priorities mixed up?

Valet parking is a new service offered at the Audie Murphy VA Hospital, but not everyone's impressed.

Local veteran William Raymond said the overburdened government healthcare system should be focusing on patient care, not parking.

"In the DAV magazine, it says the VA does not have the funds to hire additional nurses and other professional people to care for veterans," he said.

To be fair, the service is free to veterans, posted signs clearly say, "No tipping allowed."

Eyewitness Wants to Know if this valet service really is a good value for vets, or if the $198,000 used to fund it each year could be better spent elsewhere.

Officials at Audie Murphy said the service was started because of ongoing customer complaints about inadequate parking, long walking distances, and about being late to their appointments.

Thanks to the new service, hospital officials said those complaints have been greatly reduced.

"We are having some of our older veterans, who are having difficult times getting up some of these hills that we have. So we think that by having a valet service, we can get the veteran in the facility a little quicker, get him taken care of, and get him out," said Leonard Daniel, with the hospital.

At a time when other government-run hospitals have been sharply criticized, Raymond's complaints may be understandable, but he could be in the minority here.

Judging by those we spoke with, it could be that free valet parking for America's vets is just what the doctor ordered.

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Larry Scott  --