Mr. Chair and distinguished colleagues, good afternoon.
My name is retired Colonel Richard Pucci. I'm a health care executive. I had the honour of serving in uniform for 30-plus years. I retired in 2016 out of the position of Deputy Commander, Canadian Forces Health Services. Prior to that, I served as the chief of staff to the Canadian Forces surgeon general.
Since retirement, I've had the pleasure of working with a multitude of veterans and veteran groups from coast to coast to coast.
One of the primary challenges facing veterans seeking health service is the lack of access to care. In many cases, veterans must travel long distances to access health facilities, which can be tiring, expensive and, of course, time-consuming. Additionally, the waiting times for appointments are often long, leading to delays in treatment and to increased risk of health complications.
Addressing this challenge requires a paradigm shift in how primary care delivery is available to our veterans. What veterans want and need is access to care upon retirement. We need in place an independent body to help facilitate a smooth transition to the civilian health care continuum.
Working with strategic partners, I am ready to launch a proof-of-concept trial here in the Ottawa area. I have developed a network of two health care facilities that are ready to be part of this revolutionary veterans health care multi-site trial.
The first site is Beechwood Physical Medicine, which is an interdisciplinary clinic where clinicians use the best practices, evidence and innovative solutions to assist our veterans experiencing physical and psychological pain and distress.
The second site is the establishment of a veterans' primary care clinic at the Tay River Reflections location in Perth, Ontario. I would like to reiterate that both locations are ready to take part in this innovative shift in delivering health care to our veterans. Both sites have generously offered up their infrastructure to support this most important shift in health care delivery for our veterans. The proof-of-concept trial would run over a six-month period with a goal of expanding to key sites across the country.
I have the following four recommendations.
Number one is to establish a veterans health services task force. Initially, the task force would work independently and have no affiliation with Veterans Affairs Canada or the Canadian Armed Forces transition group. However, a level of synergy would be developed once the task force rolls out the proof-of-concept trial. The task force would report directly to this body or to another entity, as deemed appropriate by the chair. This task force would be made up of veterans with expertise from the health care sector, as well as representatives from across other health authorities and jurisdictions.
Recommendation two is that the veterans health services task force develop a governance structure that would support the rollout of this model across the country.
The third recommendation is for the allocation of funds to launch one of our program sites forthwith. As you may be aware, the program has been developed to cater to the needs of the veteran community, and we have completed extensive planning and groundwork to make it a success. The funding would primarily be used to cover the necessary expenses to launch, including logistics, medical equipment, consultants and staffing.
The fourth recommendation is that the veteran health services task force complete a detailed review of the veteran primary care models of our allied nations.
In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude to the members of the Standing Committee on National Defence for studying health and transition services, and for their leadership and commitment to our military members and, of course, to veterans.
Let us work together to strengthen these essential services and ensure that our men and women in uniform and out of uniform receive the care they need and deserve.
Thank you.