{"id":393342,"date":"2025-03-17T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=393342"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T14:47:09","slug":"for-veterans-battling-cancer-time-is-precious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=393342","title":{"rendered":"For Veterans battling cancer, time is precious"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Veterans battling cancer, time is precious. At Dallas VA<\/a>, one nurse is leading the charge to reduce what medical experts call \u201ctime toxicity,\u201d the hours spent traveling, waiting and receiving care that can take a toll on patients and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Veterans diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) were waiting three to four hours before they could receive blood or platelets. That was too long,\u201d said Mary David, North Texas VA hematology-oncology nurse who has served Veterans at Dallas VA for 19 years. \u201cSome patients need one or two transfusions per week and those hours add up quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

MDS prevents the body from making healthy blood cells, requiring frequent transfusions. The traditional process meant multiple stops and needle sticks, first to the lab for blood work, then waiting for results before finally receiving treatment.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
Nurse Jorge Gray Vega and Jimmy Whitt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Time better spent at home<\/h2>\n

Jimmy Whitt, 77, a Marine Corps Veteran who served four years in supply, knows firsthand how demanding the old process was. \u201cThis used to require me to come in three or four days a week for about four hours each of those days. I was spending more time at VA than I was at home it felt like.\u201d<\/p>\n

David and her fellow hematology-oncology nurses knew there had to be a better way. They developed a streamlined process where Veterans now go directly to the clinic for their blood draw and treatment in one location.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I come in at seven, go straight to the clinic, enjoy my homemade coffee and wait for my blood. I feel like a VIP. These ladies are doing a great job,\u201d Whitt said, who is pictured above with David.<\/p>\n

Making a real difference<\/h2>\n

The improvement is part of Dallas VA\u2019s commitment to Veteran-centered care that values both medical outcomes and quality of life. By eliminating unnecessary wait times and procedures, nurses are helping Veterans spend less time in treatment and more time living their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff here cared enough to listen and get me and Veterans in a similar situation like me in and out by streamlining the process so I can spend more time living life and less time receiving treatments,\u201d Whitt added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to erase the old \u2018hurry up and wait\u2019 perception,\u201d said David. \u201cOur Veterans deserve care that respects both their health needs and their time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of this initiative demonstrates how VA nurses continue finding innovative ways to improve the Veteran experience one patient, one process and one day at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Veterans battling cancer, time is precious. At Dallas VA, one nurse is leading the charge to reduce what medical experts call \u201ctime toxicity,\u201d the hours spent traveling, waiting and receiving care that can take a toll on patients and their families. \u201cOur Veterans diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) were waiting three to four hours […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":393344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,5,1268],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-393342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-health","category-visn-17"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=393342"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":393348,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393342\/revisions\/393348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/393344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=393342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=393342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=393342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}