Stratton VA Medical Center Reviews

We go here for specialty care. Staff is helpful and knowledgeable. We have always had good care.

I m a Disabled Veteran and I live in this VA Hospital , the workers are Great and the Nursing Staff is Awesome , the Hospital is very clean but the Food is Horrible.! They need a real cook or Chef someone who cares for the Veterans. The best food is sold in the Restaurant in the Basement. Happy Fourth of July to my Family,Friends and Veterans.S/F Dutch !!!

The Plastic Surgery nurses and Doctors are very kind and skilled in their specialty. They were quick in their setup process and talked to me during the entire process.

You cannot find better care I don't believe than the VA in Albany. They're absolutely fantastic Beyond any Hospital ever seen before. My husband is in there for cancer and they look after him tremendously and every hand knows what the other hand is doing at all times. They go way above and beyond.

Its constantly fighting for the correct medications and appointments- not worth it for them to play with your life to save money at your expense

Hi, after all the horror stories you hear about VA Hospitals in general I was pleasantly surprised on how well my visits have been here. Total professionalism and great follow-up care.

I'm a VA Healthcare Enrollee and a US Navy Veteran. The service and care provided to me since I've been out of the military has been remarkable. They have really changed for best. The Stratton VA Medical Center provides specialized medical services such as: cardiac catheterization, cardiac rehabilitation, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, stereotactic radiosurgery, hospice/palliative care, adult day health care, post-traumatic stress disorder, compensated work therapy, memory clinic, geriatric assessment, nursing home and respite care.

I've been to seven VA hospitals in five states from New Hampshire, to San Diego. Albany (Particularly the Blue team) are superior, accommodating, very kind, and faster than the other VA hospitals. All of the hospitals are good, it's just Albany stand out.

I had a redo left total knee. My surgeon Dr. Harding he did a fantastic job putting my knee back together. The surgical team was fantastic as well. The reason I didn't give the hospital 5 stars was my room was so-so and the food was terrible. The nursing staff was great as well.

Take the day off. It takes forever. However, they do a good job accommodating us Veterans with quality service.

Waited an hour and a half for an ultrasound of a possible tumor and never got called back to be seen. Left without them seeing me at all.

My father was a WWII combat veteran. For years he had medical care in the private sector. As he aged this was becoming extremely difficult and the past few years he received services from the VA at home. He was seen by a physician and a nurse practitioner at home as well as nursing and therapy services contracted by the VA with private providers. There was also much help provided in the way of equipment, ramps and specialized seating in the car. Without their help, my father would not have been able to remain at home until his final days. I will be forever grateful for the care given to him and the respect shown to him. I cannot speak highly enough for the professional, friendly, supportive people of the VA Home Based Primary Care Staff. They have an impossible job that they handle with grace and determination while allowing the veteran to preserve dignity and self assurance.

If you are a veteran, this is your one stop shop. Staff are caring and professional. Facilities are clean and comfortable. I brought my WWII father here for primary care, ophthalmology, optometry, audiology and podiatry. Was very happy with our experience - You will be too.

this place has come a long way .but the service here idms fast and the facility has gone trough alot of upgrades .from the staff to even a small coffee shop inside that serves starbucks! iam a Vet. one advice I can give if its your first time enrolling. make sure you get copies and give " copies" of all your medical and dental. paper work and safe guard your DD214,good luck ,and welcome home!

I love the VA. I wish they had more after hour urgent care centers in the Saratoga area .I have to go all the way to Albany for urgent care .Other than that, I get nothing but top notch caring service when I go. People who complain about the service don't consider how hard these people work. How many people they serve .They do a great job .

On Saturday June 1, 2019 my husband was in severe stomach pain when I brought him to the emergency room. I can't say enough about the immediate attention he received, he was seen by the doctor and sent for xrays and a ct scan within the half hour. He was admitted to 7B with diverticulitis and later tested positive for Cdiff. The nurses in the er and on the unit have been wonderful to him, they are always pleasant, address his needs and as his wife I feel good when I leave him I don't worry if he will be taken care of because these nurses and doctors are top notch. I am a retired nurse of 35 years and I can tell you your nurses are what nurses use to be and you should be very proud of your staff.
Sincerely,
Susan E Dayton
Cropseyville, NY

Excellent care. Good people deeply committed to their mission

I've had two surgeries with great results. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. I've had nothing but positive experiences with the VA system since the end of my enlistment in 2005. I've heard the horror stories and genuinely feel for those who have suffered but I believe whole heartedly that all VA personnel do the best they can with the resources available.

We owe our veterans top quality care and I worry that they don't always receive it.

My father has gone to the Albany VA for years and has received great care. Unfortunately he has passed away. What I want to share is an email I received from the funeral home on how they sent my father off. Thank you all for honoring him in such a special way. Below is the email I received.

Hi Crystal,
I placed dad's obituary on the funeral home's website and facebook page. I have submitted it to the Columbia Paper which will come out next Thursday and should be online with them shortly.
If there is anything else I can do for you please just let me know.
We did go to the hospital today and to the crematory today. I just want to share with you the dignity and respect afforded your dad when leaving the VA hospital.
Once we completed our paper work there the lady in the details office puts an overhead page that the staff recognizes as notification that one of their veterans will be leaving the facility. In the time it takes for us to drive from the office to the area of the hospital that will handle the discharge, about 20 volunteers and staff have set up a wall of military insignias by our entrance. Once we have prepared dad to leave the facility the container we use is draped with the American flag. As we leave that area men and women line the corridor with their caps on and salute as we past. The gentlemen that leads us has a recorder playing amazing grace. As we get near the doors we will leave from, in the area that now has a wall of military insignias on both sides, we stop. At that point several of those there line up on either side of your dad. There some words are spoken about veterans and they start to fold the flag in the thirteen folds that it takes to completely fold it into the triangle form that you often see. As they make each fold the gentleman leading the ceremony explains what each fold signifies. At the conclusion taps are played and they salute as we leave.
I wanted to share that with you because if I didn't you would never know that it took place. They do it because they are thankful for each persons sacrifice for our country. They do it because they want to show their appreciation and respect. They do it knowing no one will know they did and there won't be applause or accolades for them doing it. They do it in the truest sense of respect where nothing will be gained for them. They did it because they truly care.
It was an honor to be present for it.
If there is anything else I can help you with, just let me know
Thanks
Mike

I have had no problems with the health care I receive from the Albany-Stratton VA or the Schenectady Outpatient Clinic. The staff take pride in their work and work hard to take care of veterans. Vets who receive care must also be proactive and care for themselves mentally and physically also. The staff gives plenty of information for self care and answers any questions that I have.

I cannot stress the importance of taking care of oneself and applying the tools the providers work to tailor to one s situation. Patients who apply the health plan set forth do feel a difference physically and mentally. Veterans must also know that problems aren t fixed overnight . Sometimes it may take awhile to see or feel any difference from when the care plan started.

In all, I feel the providers do an excellent job for the immense number of veterans they provide for. They all truly care, from the valet service, volunteers, dining facility staff to the health care teams to the installation director. I commend all of the providers that work in the VA system for their professionalism and dedication to their duty and thank them for all they have done to help me.

My husband is a diabetic veteran and many appointments. This VA is great and works hard to give great service.

57 yr old female veteran having my first colonoscopy. I'm thrilled to tell you how absolutely wonderful my appointment went. These were the most professional and courteous group of doctors and nurses I have ever dealt with. From the packet mailed in advance with all directions and expectations I needed to follow, as well as the procedure steps and alternatives should I have any anxieties or questions, they showed how much my comfort level was the primary concern. Kudo's to everyone of them.

The staff is very friendly. The doctors are well informed and experienced. I had a surgery to reattach a tendon in my thumb and I can move it almost 100% like before. The only issue I ever had is they tend to handle mostly men. When I went to the ER with my thumb they had to create a make shift brace as they had none in my size. Also, when I got a stress fracture they had to order a boot (took about 2 weeks) as no women smalls were available. But other than lacking women sizes I have had good expierences.

I have this open wound on my left ankle and for a long time they (Albany VA) didn't have a wound clinic now they have one but I am coming up on my second visit there and still haven't gotten the care I got in Houston, Texas after one week visit at that wound clinic. My wound the doctor said would be healed and no pain coming from it after using the medicine I got from him. Well still have the pain and the wound is still open. So not everything is great at Albany VA.

Visiting from Boston and had the unfortunate luck of becoming ill. Made a 5 am visit to Albany VA Medical Center. Cannot say enough about the care that I received. Olivia, Latoya and Dr. Morris were warm and professional. They had me in and out quickly and I am on the mend! Thanks to all of you!

Excellent health care. The staff is really great. The Stratton Inn is fantastic, and Julie is great! Thank you for providing such great service to our veterans.

I've been here about 25 times in the last 6 years. I've had positive experiences mostly, and a few negative- it's not perfect. I do like my doc a lot, and many other people/doc's I've dealt with there. Overall, they've done pretty well here from my perspective.

It always feels more like a family than an institution. There is a caring attitude all around that I do experience in non-VA medical settings.

Every appointment ends with a need for another appointment and a promise that, "That department will call you tomorrow to schedule..." And they NEVER do. So I try to call and it takes DAYS to get to a human and not just a voice mail.
And they seem to have absolutely NO regard that not everyone lives within close proximity to their facility. I can never get 2 or more appointments on just 1 day. I'm over an hour away and aleays have to make multiple trips.

Last night til this morning I was with a dear friend comforting her Father who is getting ready to pass. I have never seen more compassionate loving group of Nurses/Aides as I did tonight. I know we were on the 9th floor, but can t remember the wing or the Nurses name. He was a fine young male Nurse. The empathy he showed my friend and her Dad was remarkable. He was respectful of her time, answered questions, the care and compassion he showed her Dad was like nothing I have EVER seen. Granted I was tired when I left 48 minutes ago, but am upset I never got his name.

I have in the past, never by this friend, heard some not so favorable things of the VA . Not everyone likes everything about certain places.... but I will speak highly of the experience I had there tonight.

Kudos!!!!

My father passed away there last night and the care him and I received was such a blessing the ICU nurses are outstanding and now I can see why my dad requested to be transported there on a respirator from Ellis last week because the care and comfort he received at the va hospital was amazing I sat with him for 9 hours and right to the last second their hearts were all about his comfort thank you from a son

Just visited yesterday for the first time and needed to see the Dentist department. I was really happy to have seen the dentist that very day. Staff seemed friendly and i got to the the right department immediately upon arriving at the facility. Would highly recommend to fellow Veterans. Also, I would recommend making your appointments in mid afternoon. Parking can be issue in morning hours.

So you want to make a sick appointment or an appointment due to a minor injury that hasn't been scheduled months in advance? Want to get medical advice? Yeah- that ain't going to happen if you use this VA for care. I tried multiple times to schedule an appointment due to broken bone injury but kept getting the run around and transferred to different departments. I left multiple voicemails on the nurses voicemail. No call backs or attempts to get me in as a private sector primary care doctor would. I will never use VA care again - I'd rather spend my money for a private doctor.

Audiology lets their phone go to voicemail; the first thing they tell you is their motto 'We Don't" Same thing on secure messaging. And they mean it!

Went to er for gout doctor said I had a broken foot then try to get med refill from Glensfall VA what a joke the VA hospital sucks

Oncology has the rudest people answering the phones. And figuring there was no actual employees to talk to in the area I guess that sums up my experience.

I have been a patient here on the 7th floor for a week now. Although the nurses are knowledgeable they cannot handle the patient to nurse ratio. Then the patients suffer. More work is then required as patients require a urnal and cannot receive one or a number 2 is required and no bed pan. Resulting in a mess. Once again a lot of additional work which could have been avoided. Same condition applies to the number of aides available to patients. Some nurses have excellent time management skills and can handle things well. But, they are few and far in between. The sanitation of the rooms is totally unacceptable. The floors being cleaned only weekly. Unless there is an immediate accident then usually within 2 to 3 hours. The doctors are excellent. But the hourly care is disgusting.

Horrible place my grandfather a former marine died in this hospital when all he went in there for was because of his sugar and the next thing you know he died because of this place. Never would have happened if the VA did their job so he could come home. If it wasn't for Cuomo he could have went in sooner for his cancer treatment to but my grandfather was to scared to come in and get his last treatment. We couldn't even come in and say goodbye to him he died alone because of the restrictions.

I only have experience with one other major VA hospital (and it was a much larger one/larger network). I was wholly dispapointed when I came here. There is so much bureaucracy and red tape. It is so hard to get the help you need and rightfully deserve. There are services not even provided such as chiropractic and acupuncture treatment and the reason is because of our director. There are doctors who have volunteered to pay for the training themselves. Every time I ask why something is so messed up they all say thank our director for that. Maybe when she retires we can join the modern age of medical treatment and have the proper care without so much BS to go through. Getting care shouldn't be a fight.

It took an hour and a half to be seen by the Dr. Then it took another hour to get my paperwork and be discharged. They were not busy and staff were standing around visiting.

My boyfriend has had back pain for the last 4 months. We have gone to the e.r. here numerous times and each time they give him a b.s. diagnosis and give him muscle relaxers which don"t work. I truly feel like these doctors and nurses genuinely do not care about their patients at all. Not once have they actually tried to figure out why for the last 4 months that his back has been hurting so bad he can barely move.

My experiences with the Albany VA have all been very positive. Audiology, Eye care and Sleep disorders have been nothing but the best. They have bested all my expectations.

I ve been a patient for well over 7 years, i ve nothing but great things to say about the doctors, nurses & staff at the Dtratton VA

It took me over 40 years to get into the VA system. My first procedure at Albany Stratton was a combo of a colonoscopy/endoscopy.From the check in to the 5 or 6 nurses and doctors , I had never been treated so decently in any medical facility. I felt human, as opposed to a statistic.They all seemed so competent and yet compassionate and calm. When I came out of the anesthesia, I asked the nurse if my pleasant experience was unusual. She said it's kind of the norm. I asked if she new why that was. She thought it might have something to do to the fact they didn't to explain things to an insurance company or a for profit hospital's board of directors. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals get to make decisions based on what's needed, as opposed to what brings more profit $$$ to the bottom line.
Great Britain, who has been our closest ally through every conflict, started their national health care system that veterans AND THEIR FAMILIES, would not have to go begging to see a doctor. Like every other soldier I served with ( yes, I mean Nay, Air Force Marines and the most underrated, Coast Guard) I'm a flag waving , free enterprise patriot. But health care for Vets and their families ( why not every American) is too important to be left to politicians,corporate hacks, and their accountants (the vast majority never served) to make decisions about life and death.
Sorry about the rant. This was about my gratitude to the men and woman who take great care of us at the VA Med. Our nation owes them our respect and gratitude.

Sgt. Alan M Kessler
US Army
Panmunjom Joint Security Area '67 to '69

On July 6,2020 I went into the VA in Albany,NY,I went into the Emergency Department, i was seen right away, everyone was very polite and helpful, Found out i needed to get a procedure done,While i was in the ER,I met my nurse, I'm 56 yrs old I've been though a lot hospital visits thought the year,I would like to comment on my Nurse and staff,It was the Best Experience I've ever had even though i was in pain and not feeling well,ive never had someone take good care of me,(except my wife)she was very nice,and informative she explained everything very well i don't mean to single her out ,the rest of the staff and Doctors were Great to.I just wrote this because im very happy with the treatment i received, And i would like to give My nurse the Thank You again that she truly deserves. So Thank You Nameless ER Nurse,
Martin R Henry.

Worse place ever, what kind of ER will willingly leave a patient in serious pain for 7hours.then on the way out that tell you they are happy your leaving. I asked for 2 things pain management and a magnet for my spinal stimulator.......I was giving none. Just because new York has a pill popper problem does not mean that everyone needs to suffer. I will never go to this place again, they for get that V is for veteran and should be treated as a patient and not receive minimal treatment.

The care these people show and the lengths they go to help vets is incredible. They have changed my life.

Not happy at all u u don t let family members in hospital to the patients very unfiar if u wear mask u should be allowed don t like ur rules at all u should allow a lot of visitors