Veterans Administration Secretary visits Tomah VA

TOMAH, Wis. (WKBT) — The U.S. Secretary of the Veterans Administration visited the Tomah VA Medical Center Tuesday to discuss alternative pain management practices.

Secretary Robert Wilkie met with Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and the parents of Jason Simcakoski for a roundtable discussion.

The VA has been using other treatments more… as a substitute to opioids, like acupuncture and tai chi.

Wilkie says the changes made in Tomah are spreading across the country.

“VA, because of Tomah, has reduced the prescription rate of opioids across America by 51 percent,” said Robert Wilkie, U.S. Veterans Administration Secretary.

Wilkie says VA staff also prescribes lower impact pain medications like aspirin to help with pain.

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