WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman welcomed Maumelle resident Dr. Kimberly Garner to Washington, D.C. to hear how her participation in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Diffusion of Excellence initiative helps improve the quality of care for our veterans.

Garner, a doctor at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) in Little Rock, developed an advance care group visit program that allows our veterans to receive the care they desire should they become physically unable to communicate those wishes to family and caregivers.

She shared with Boozman and his colleagues on the Senate VA Committee about her work that has been recognized by the VA as a Gold Status Best Practice.

“As a healthcare provider I want to know who this veteran trusts and I want to provide the care that is consistent with who they are as a person. This allows us to engage veterans in this discussion and because we do it as a group, we have more time and we are able to get into a pretty detailed discussion about how this might benefit them and their families,” Garner told members during the VA hearing.

“Dr. Garner’s innovative program is a great story of success at the VA. I appreciate her dedication and passion to providing high quality care to our veterans. This was an important hearing that gave my colleagues and me an opportunity to hear the positive impact of the Diffusion of Excellence initiative and Dr. Garner’s achievements in the program,” Boozman said.

Dr. Garner was selected as one of 10 VA Gold Status Best Practice Fellows, out of 200 applicants, for her innovative work.