"No. We have got to go vote. I appreciate the courtesy in letting me ask Dr. Holmes more questions."
"we are here to listen to you and we take those concerns very seriously."
"Especially with specialty care, being absent even in the private sector, I mean, it is clear to me that care in the community, it does not solve the problem of access to care in these rural communitie..."
"Rural veterans and their families have long had to navigate the altogether different healthcare experience than their suburban and urban counterparts."
"Would you agree that Congress has given the department a range of tools, a lot of tools, a lot of authorities to be able to recruit and retain employees?"
"The degree of closures of critical access hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure in rural areas is highly concerning."
"Mental health is a major focus of our hiring efforts."
"The need for a robust VA presence in rural America remains."
"Veterans cannot always rely on the community to be there but they should be able to rely on VA."
"We do have a need to increase the specialty physicians. We need to really get serious about that."
"I urge the representatives of this committee to support programs that will allow for the education of at least stakeholders, if not the general public, about the risks and potential therapeutic benefi..."