I am proposing to have at least 1 bed, 2 would be more ideal, on reserve and ready for any veteran that walks into a rehabilitation facility to get help with their addiction. It shouldn’t matter if it is a state ran or a privately owned facility. Our veterans should always have a bed waiting for them if they need and want the help!
If anyone has ever had to help a loved one or friend with getting into a rehabilitation center for their addiction then you know it’s not as easy as just walking in the door and having a bed available. Once they finally do decide enough is enough and want to get help they then have to go through some challenges to even get the help. They have to find a facility near them first, then they have to see if that facility takes insurance or cash, most of the time an addict doesn’t have one or the other, then they have to see if a bed is even available. A majority of the time they get put on a waiting list for a bed to become available for them. Sometimes it’s only a few days but sometimes it can be a few weeks. And when an addict finally does decide to get help they usually will not wait for a bed and they will just go back to doing the drugs or alcohol again. So they never get the help they truly need.
Our Veterans put their life on the line to ensure we have our rights and freedoms here in the US so there should be NO reason why they can’t walk into any rehab facility and get help when they decide it’s time to get that help! I believe any facility, state or privately ran, can and should always have at least one bed reserved and available for our veterans.
Unfortunately, the way things are currently, everything comes down to money. I know these facilities get paid by bed. As long as someone is occupying the bed they are getting paid. So even though I do not know how they would receive the funds for letting a bed sit empty until a veteran needs it, it should not matter. Maybe pull it out of the state budget, maybe work with the veterans association, or maybe just take a loss for 1 bed. I know there is thousands of facilities across this country but to reserve 1 bed in each facility is not too much to ask for our veterans.
Our veterans should never have to wait to get a bed at a rehabilitation facility! When they decide to get help, they should get it immediately!