ATLANTA — The potential need for more space to care for coronavirus patients is having a significant impact at an Atlanta Veterans Affairs hospital.
Thirty-four senior veterans who live at its Eagles' Nest residence are being quickly moved out to other VA care facilities in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. The VA said Eagles' Nest may be be transformed into a COVID-19 care unit ready to receive what could be a surge of patients.
So far, 12 veterans who have tested positive for the virus are in the Atlanta VA Hospital with 50 more being treated as outpatients.
Families told 11Alive the surprise transfer raises a lot of concerns.
Joyce Jamison said her husband, U.S. Army veteran William Stuart Jamison, has lived in the facility for 8 years. A former American advisor during the Vietnam War, he now suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and is virtually immobile.
Jamison said she is concerned about the safety and welfare of her husband who will be 79 in August.
"Is he going to be protected from the environment? Is he going to catch something that could be avoided?" she asked.
Linda McCall echoed similar frustrations. Her husband, Ralph McCall, also an Army Veteran that served in Vietnam, has been a six-year resident of Eagles' Nest.
"I said, 'I don't understand why you're moving my husband when he's high risk. He has both diabetes and he has heart disease'," McCall said. "He also has Parkinson's."
The VA told 11Alive the relocation is temporary and the seniors will eventually be returned to the Eagles' Nest. But when that will happen is still open-ended.
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