UCLA Med Center Opens New Center to Help Vets: as part of Operation Mend

By Debbie Gregory.

Since 2007, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has been partnering with the Brooke Army Medical Center and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System to form Operation Mend. Operation Mend provides healthcare services to wounded military personnel who require drastic plastic or reconstructive surgeries, as well as mental health support to the patients and their families.

Last week, in support of Operation Mend, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center announced the opening of its Lockheed Martin TeleHealth Suite and Lockheed Martin Outpatient Recovery Suites. The new amenities were made possible largely through a donation of $4 million by Lockheed Martin.

The TeleHealth Suite includes monitors with the ability to deliver high-definition video streams individually, as well as a full-motion content sharing stream. The new system will also enable personnel to edit shared content through the use of hi-tech touch panels.  This provides many advantages for Operation Mend.

Patients of Operation Mend, wounded Vets, won’t have to fly out to L.A. every time they need to be seen by one of their doctors at UCLA.  The TeleHealth Suite makes it possible for doctors to examine their patients through a highly advanced conference call.

The TeleHealth Suite also makes it possible for UCLA physicians to collaborate with colleagues, military doctors and ,specialists all over the world. This type of collaboration between civilian medical centers, Veteran healthcare facilities and military hospitals is pioneering a better way to provide the best, most informed care and treatment to all patients.

The Lockheed Martin Outpatient Recovery Suites provides Operation Mend’s Veteran patients and their families with the highest level of privacy and comfort during their multiple surgeries. A renovated waiting room, a new consulting office and four private recovery suites which also provide space for visitors are all part of the gift from the aerospace company and UCLA.

In addition to housing Operation Mend, the center will also research and provide care for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and patient-family support.