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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</b><br>
April 19, 2021<a name="_Hlk533762194"><o:p></o:p></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk533762194"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%">The Boise VA Medical Center Announces Stakeholder Listening Sessions as Part of Ongoing Effort to Guide the Future of VA Health Care<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN" style="color:black">Boise, Idaho
</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color:black">— </span>The Boise VA Medical Center<b>
</b>announced today that it will hold a virtual listening session with stakeholders on May 7, 2021 from 2PM to 3:30PM MST to hear from Veterans and the communities VA serves.<span style="color:#323E4F"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%">This is one of 50 public virtual listening sessions across the country from March through June 2021 to hear from Veterans on how to design a health care system of the future and grow services
for Veterans in a way that reinforces VA’s role as a leader in the U.S. health care system.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%">“We want to hear from Veterans and other stakeholders in the communities VA serves and understand their vision for VA health care,” said Director, David Wood. “VA’s goal is to collaborate closely
with Veterans and other stakeholders to build the best VA health care system that meets the needs of Veterans today and for generations to come.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%"><span style="color:black">These listening sessions represent an exciting opportunity for Veterans to help VA reimagine how VA delivers care in an equitable, high quality, Veteran-centered manner
and develop a plan for investing in VA’s aging infrastructure.</span> The feedback will be used to
<span style="color:black">develop </span>the recommendations VA submits to the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/115th-congress/house-report/1036">
<span style="color:blue">Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission</span></a> in January 2022. The AIR Commission will also conduct public hearings as part of their review of VA’s recommendations before submitting its recommendations to the President
and Congress for review and approval in 2023.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%">To register for Boise VA Medical Center’s listening session, please visit
<a href="https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPOLICYPLANNING/listening.asp"><span style="color:blue">https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPOLICYPLANNING/listening.asp</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:center;line-height:115%;text-autospace:none">
###<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Josh Callihan<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Public Affairs Officer<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Boise VA Medical Center<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">500 W Fort Street <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Boise, Idaho 83702<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">W: (208) 422-1054<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">C: (208) 841-2431<o:p></o:p></p>
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