I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease 2014 and began treatment at the Fort Harrison VA. In 2017, I developed severe complications, so I was referred to the movement clinic (PADRECC) at the VA in Portland for special diagnosis and treatment. That was when my wife and I first came into contact with Susan.
We knew from the start that Susan was special. Living in Helena, we were total strangers to the Portland VA and needed a lot of help navigating through the system making appointments, reservations, contacts, and dealing with other administrative issues. Susan stepped up and handled every question and problem we had with professionalism, courtesy, knowledge, and a very friendly but respectful demeanor. Those first few visits were made so much easier for us because of her efforts on our behalf.
Our contacts with Susan in neurology during the next two years increased as we began relying more on Portland VA and OHSU to treat my Parkinson's. We knew we could rely on her to go out of her way to answer questions and help us solve problems that we could not untangle in Helena. In each contact with Susan, she was friendly, knowledgeable, and timely with all her responses. She was extremely patient and would take all the time needed to help us get things done. We have joked many times about "who ya' gonna call" when we had a problem. The answer was definitely Susan!
Although Susan's performance embodies all five I CARE principals, I will describe a situation that demonstrates advocacy and respect.
Recently my wife, (and caregiver) and I were making arrangements to travel to Portland VA and OHSU for more tests and evaluations. We were told we needed to submit a couple of forms but got contradictory information about which department was responsible for completing the forms. For two days we were on the phone calling various entities and being transferred around to different people. At one point we were dealing with five different entities in four locations. We felt unprepared, as the patient, to do this internal work.
Finally, I called Susan and left a message about our situation. Within an hour or so she replied back and told us not to worry, that she would handle it and would make sure things got to the right places. She was very supportive and understanding and took responsibility for getting the job done. Our frustration levels dropped dramatically.
Susan O'Connor has made our dealings with the VA so much easier and enjoyable. She is a total asset for the VA and represents the best example of great service to veterans.