To the editor:

As a Bert Nash Center psychiatrist, I was asked recently to consult on a patient at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Paul (not his real name) turned out to be a man with a history of severe alcoholism. He used to have a responsible job but now cannot work and, of course, has no insurance. Paul was admitted to treat withdrawal symptoms and has agreed to go to a residential treatment program. So far so good.

A representative for Kansas substance abuse programs refused to accept him because he is a veteran and is eligible for treatment in a Veterans Administration program; Kansas programs are limited enough that they have to be restrictive. There is a good program at the V.A. hospital at Leavenworth, but it is one of three in the country and has a 50-person waiting list.

So what are we going to do? What is Paul going to do? We are going to send him home, most likely to drink and try to survive while he waits for an opening. We are ready to spend $100, $200 billion for a war, creating more impaired veterans in the process, yet we choose not to provide treatment for the needy here at home. I went into medicine to help, and, with Paul, I am helpless. I also am frustrated and angry. We need a government that is more concerned about people.

Dr. Joe Douglas,

Lawrence