VA Hospital (Sheridan: to rent, homes, movie theater)

[ncwygal]

Can anyone give me some info on the VA Hospital in Sheridan?

[wyoquilter]

Originally Posted by ncwygal

Can anyone give me some info on the VA Hospital in Sheridan?

What kind of info are you wanting?

[ElkHunter]

Are you wanting to know about the Health Care there? Or are you asking about what it's like to be employed there?

[ncwygal]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Are you wanting to know about the Health Care there? Or are you asking about what it's like to be employed there?

What it is like being employed there. I have read the blogs and it seem like a very nice place to live and a great place to raise children.

thanks

[ElkHunter]

My numbers may be off a bit so don't take them as gospel.

The Sheridan VA employs approximately 450 people. (That's a guess)

Mental Health has about 100 beds. DOM has about 100 beds. Nursing home has 48 beds. Actual Medical Unit has 28 beds.

Building 71 (Medical Unit) is 3 floors high. They are going to completely gut that building next year and rebuild it to be more user friendly. Right now its a mismatch of things. For instance, when Xray started, they only had a couple rooms. But with the new MRI, Catscan, etc, they've taken up several other rooms and it's difficult to walk through and get to where you need to be. Medical floor (3) has 2 nurses stations because the way it's built one nurses station can't see all the rooms. Hallway is zig zagged.

Building 6 is going to move to a new building they are putting up next year. Then Building 6 will be revamped and one of the things they are putting in is a Cyber Cafe. So many times you have to go in for blood work at 7:30 and your appointment isn't until 1. So it will be someplace to go and relax and log onto the internet, drink a coke and such.

There is a library, canteen, swimming pool, weight room, bowling alley, readily available. There is a woodshop, leather shop, and ceramic shop being restarted next year. It was shut down 8 years ago do to cut backs. So patients have something to keep them busy.

Big auditorium with movies a couple nights a week, bingo, etc during the week.

I'm not sure how it is to work there but I've seldom run across anybody that didn't like their job. Except a couple of the housekeepers that were a little miffed because other housekeepers didn't show for their shift.

Most everybody I know that works there, have made a career out of it. Not wanting to leave once they got on.

Debra, the Director is a sweet lady that has an open door policy and is very active in making it the very best VA.

I was in there as a patient last year for almost 6 months so I had the opportunity to see a lot of it and ended up being very involved as I got on a couple of committee's.

They took the old officers quarters (big beautiful brick homes) and redid them. They are available to rent but there is a waiting list. Very reasonably priced, I might add.

[ncwygal]

Thank you Elkhunter for the info. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you sometime.

[ElkHunter]

I will also tell you, that for the most part, I had Excellent care at the VA. However, like anywhere, there are individuals that don't adhere to standards.

For instance, I had a long term wound and they moved me to another section of the Hospital. In that section, one of the patients came in and visited with me. He started asking very detailed questions about my wound. I asked him how he knew about it. He told me the nurses name and how she had explained everything about it to him.

But those incidents were very isolated.

Also, this VA doesn't do surgery's. Well, they'll cut off a mole, or take a byopsie, etc. But I had to have surgery 3 times. They sent me to Billings twice and to Sheridan Memorial once. In each case, I was sent back to the VA a day after surgery (by ambulance) for my after care.

[mortisha]

I grew up at the VA Hospital back in the 60's and 70's. It was a great place to be a kid in those years. There were almost a 100 kids at that time (post-war baby-boomers). We had our own school bus to take us into Sheridan, but, unfortunately it was painted green and had black bars on the windows! You can imagine what the "townies" had to say about that. We could use the bowling alley - 2 lanes and set your own pins - go to the movie theater for free, use the library, watch soft ball and baseball games and best of all, pretty much ran rampart over the expansive, well-kept grounds.

My dad was a doctor there until the 1980's. Sheridan will always be my "home" even though I have lived many places since high-school. I still have family there and always enjoy my visits. Sheridan has grown a lot since my childhood but remains one of the nicest places to live in Wyoming. I am an RN but never worked at the VA myself. I did work at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in the 70's but that doesn't help you much now either!

Thanks for letting me reminisce a little. If there is an opening at the VA I'm sure you will like living in the community, especially if you enjoy outdoor activities. Deb

[ncwygal]

Elkhunter- I guess HIPPA is not so much at the VA. Thanks for the info.

Mortisha, I like a little reminising myself. The more I read the more I think I might like living in Sheridan-even tho the cost of living is high.

Thank you both.

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by ncwygal

... The more I read the more I think I might like living in Sheridan-even tho the cost of living is high.

Thank you both.

There's a lot worse places and, frankly, not many I'd consider better.