Westborough – John “Jack” Collins, director of the Central Western Mass. Division, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), recently was a guest on “Veterans Corner,” a show produced by Westborough TV. The show is hosted by Brent French, chair of the Westborough Veterans Advisory Board and Adam Costello, director of the Central Massachusetts Veterans District.
Collins is a recently retired Army colonel who served as the senior medical person in Afghanistan and also administered the enormous military healthcare system in Europe. He joined the VA in 2014 and is responsible for VA healthcare activities in five counties, including Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire. The VA Central Western Mass. Healthcare System provides primary, specialty, and mental health care, including psychiatric, substance abuse and PTSD services, to a veteran population in central and western Mass. of more than 120,000 men and women. More information about this organization can be found at Facebook.com/VACWMASS. (You do not need to have a Facebook account to visit.)
Collins discussed initiatives to reduce waiting time, and he commented on new services being added to the Worcester Clinic in conjunction with a VA and University of Massachusetts Medical School partnership.
The full video is available and viewable on Westborough TV’s website (westboroughtv.org) or local access channels.