Edward Hines Jr Veteran Clinic

I have mixed feelings about this place– also known as the Aurora VA CBOC (community-​based outpatient clinic).
I’ll rate each service individually:
Customer service: 2. Check-​in machine only works ½ the time. Have had appointments cancelled by Dr upon arrival or while seated. Too many Miscommunications.
Nurses: 5. Great. Caring.
Lab:1. They can stick you in one try, but more often then not they are standing around gossiping in an empty lab and ignoring seated clients who are waiting seated.
Doctors: 5. Amazing and thoughtful
Social workers: 1. Will call you once if you are lucky, then send you a letter to go elsewhere for help.
Pharmacy: 0. There is none. Wait for your meds in the mail. Same with dentistry and optometry.
I’ve been here 20+ times. Barely beats a drive into Chicago (Hines VA), but sometimes I’ll just skip this clinic and go to the Hines VA ER– even though I hate the wait.
They should look at the Crown Point VA as a model clinic. They rock there!
Worth repeating though: doctors-​5 stars.

I hate this place.
I waited over a month for an appointment. It was at 3PM which was cutting it close to my class, but since it was the only appointment available, I had to take it and I figured I’d be out in time.
I get there and the ladies at the front desk were really nice. This is why they get two stars instead of one, and that’s about the only reason. They checked me in and I sat and waited. Tell me why they had Curious George on the television for a bunch of old veterans. I was probably the youngest person in there by at least 40 years, and I know I’m not trying to watch Curious George. Ridiculous.
Thirty minutes after I should have been seen, I approached the desk. Turns out my doctor didn’t even know I was there, she was seeing another patient at the time. My nurse told me she made a mistake and was supposed to call me and tell me I got rescheduled but she got «sidetracked».
I was seriously fuming. I could feel the heat coming off of my face I was so pissed and I told her to go get my doctor immediately because I wasn’t leaving without being seen. Especially after I had waited a month for this appointment, wasted 30 minutes out in the waiting room, and spent 45 minutes driving all the way out to North Aurora from Naperville!
So I spent 10 minutes in this room listening to the nurse apologize and make up all these excuses as to why she didn’t call me, until I hear the doctor outside talking with the other patient. Longest 10 minutes of my life. The nurse grabs her and brings her into my room. Apparently she was too busy for me as she said «I’m not even supposed to be seeing you today.» She took a single look at me, asked me what was going on, told me I’d be OK and to see her in another month. Are you kidding me? Now I understand why veterans go crazy. Not from PTSD, but from dealing with the freaking veterans clinics!
This isn’t the first time I’ve had this issue with the nurse and the doctor. Unfortunately, there’s not anything I can do. I’ve filled out all the surveys, complaints, and asked to be contacted, but I’m sure it all gets shredded. Welcome to Veteran Healthcare. SO SH*TTY.