Newer better care for Veterans

David Martin: This is the good government show.

Josh Geiger: It’s acute unscheduled care. Right. Which means the veteran calls in. You call your medical center, you dial three. That’s as easy as it is to get in. It’s super easy.

You know, the government is supposed to be here for the people, right? So, for the people, by the people not to go all, you know, constitutional on you. But I mean, in a sense, that’s what we’re here for, right? We’re here to serve.

That’s been my true north ever since is, you know, find where I feel like I can make a difference and try.

The people that work here truly, truly love what they do. They love the mission.

Look, when you think of government, is it fast? Is it efficient? You know? No, but it gets the job done. And VA, I think is exceptional like that.

David Martin: I think we can all agree that when it comes to veterans making sure they’re taken care of quickly and with the best care available is, well, it’s what they deserve. And a new program does just that. Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m Dave Martin. On today’s episode I talk with Josh Geiger. He’s the director of operations for National Emergency care at the US Veterans Administration.

First, help us share the message of good government by liking us and sharing us where we are on Facebook, x Instagram and Blue Sky. Please share a show with your friends and don’t forget to us. Let’s get everyone excited about good government. Well, the VA recently rolled out a program called Telehealth Emergency Care. Basically, this allows veterans anywhere to call and get quick access to nurses, doctors, or other medical professionals and to get fast answers to their medical questions.

One of the challenges veterans face is getting the help they need. Sometimes they just don’t want to ask for help. Other times, the process is hard or too time consuming or too far away. As Joshua explained, Tela Emergency Care addresses those issues directly. As a marine and someone who gets his care from the VA. Josh is a good person to see it from the veteran’s perspective, so he knows what veterans need because, well, it’s what he needs to.

So coming up, Josh Geiger and the VA’s tele emergency care program. What if World War One never happened? What if these three royal cousins King George of England, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas of Russia chose peace over pride? Good government show executive producer Jim Ludlow has just released a new book. The Royal Cousins is a gripping alternative history that imagines how diplomacy and courage could have stopped a war that took 22 million lives, if only they used the principles of good government.

Download The Royal Cousins now on Kindle. It’s powerful, timely and just $0.99, and all the proceeds support our work here on the Good Government Show. Just search the Royal Cousins on Amazon today.

Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m very happy to have with me. Finally, through all our technology problems this morning, Josh Geiger of the Veterans Administration welcome to the show. Thanks for staying with me. And thanks for being with me.

Josh Geiger: Hey, happy to be here.

David Martin: Good. I wanted to just clear up something. You have lots of titles I’ve seen. Flashing back and forth. Tell me what your title is and what you’re doing now.

Josh Geiger: Yeah. So technically, my title is director of operations for the national emergency medicine office. But I am on a temporary, detail managing access and operations for the chief operating office. So just a couple of things.

David Martin: A couple of things. But as a as a marine, you can handle anything. Is that correct?

Josh Geiger: Absolutely, absolutely.

David Martin: And how long are you a marine? I know you’re always a marine, but how long were you at active duty?

Josh Geiger: Active duty? Four years.

David Martin: Okay. So I’m sure that helps when you talk to vets, because I’m sure veterans like to talk to another serviceman, right?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. I mean, no doubt it helps. And I get all my care here. So, you know, I can relate to everything going on.

David Martin: Does it make a difference when they’re talking to a vet?

Josh Geiger: Yeah, I think so. I mean I do I do site visits to different VA medical centers. And I find that it’s easier to communicate because I can just sit right down in a lobby and and talk, and then it’s like, you know, we’re just back, you know, kind of, shooting it back and forth at each other and making fun of each other’s branches.

You know, see, what we do in the military so definitely helps.

David Martin: That’s what you do with the military. You’re you’re Navy. You’re not saying your your air force. Forget it. Hey.

Josh Geiger: Marines, I got to support the Navy for for the corpsman. But, you know, if you say your Air Force, you know, I don’t know. I’ll be nice here.

David Martin: Okay. So what we wanted to do is we wanted to talk about a new program you started called emergency telehealth. But first, let’s talk about telehealth. How long has this program been around and how successful is it?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. So, broadly, telehealth in VA has been around for, for years before I even, you know, thought of, getting involved with it. Telehealth can be multiple different things. It can be primary care. It can be mental health. It can be specialty. We have kind of a bunch of different areas that do telehealth. But for tele emergency care, we’re under the umbrella of what’s called VA Health Connect.

V.A. Health Connect is the electronic technology. We started this, I want to say around like 2018. And so we built it from a grassroots to now, today, where it’s a national, national program.

David Martin: And you’ve recently rolled out this national program of emergency telehealth.

Josh Geiger: Yeah. And this just shows the true innovation, of VA and why it makes VA a great place. Because, February of 20, 23, 24. Sorry, I’m losing track of my years now. We had four visits up and running, right? And between February and the end of the fiscal year, which is September 30th, we went from four programs to 18 programs, which means it went for two national and seven months.

David Martin: That’s pretty.

Josh Geiger: Fast. Yeah, yeah. Pretty fast. And it’s just you continue to excel and grow since then and.

David Martin: Eat a few bugs in the system you had to work out.

Josh Geiger: Yeah. I mean, with anything, right? Sure. There’s technology issues, you know, trying to figure out, process issues, trying to get patients to and from different areas virtually.

David Martin: So tell me this is your this is your project. Tell me, what is emergency telehealth?

Josh Geiger: So tell emergency care. Essentially is, you know, and look, I’m not a clinician. I’m not a doctor. Right? I did stay in it. Holiday Inn Express, if you guys remember that commercial one time, but I don’t think that qualifies. Dormancy care is for those acute folks that call in. They have more than the sniffles, more than like a cut or abrasion.

Right. And you’re going to get to a tell emergency care doc, because there’s a hierarchy. When you call in to the nurse and they triage you just as you would if you came in to face to face emergency care, or when you go to primary care, you get triaged, right. What’s going on? Let’s assess, see if this is the right place for you.

So a nurse decides that and based on the triage is when you get routed either to the contact center for let’s quote unquote, more of an urgent type care or to the more acute sick patients to, to emergency care. And it really helps, you know, especially, I mean, in urban areas, but especially for the rural veterans, you can call in and get real time care without having to go to an emergency department or an urgent care.

David Martin: Is it the same as going to the doctor, going to see a person in person?

Josh Geiger: I mean, I don’t think anything could ever replace, going to see somebody in person, right? Right. So, you know, I want to be careful, but it is pretty. It is it is a great program. Right. And I think as technology advances, we’re able to enhance more like we have a pilot going out, out west with, clinical video technology.

And really what that is, is an extension of just basically like a zoom call. Right? Because, you know, they have like stethoscopes, and different things where they can enhance that visit. Okay. So it’s going to continue to progress. And there may be a point in time where when you ask me that question, I can say, yeah, actually it enhances it, but we’re not there yet.

David Martin: Okay. But we’re we’re working towards that. So let’s just start at the beginning. I know that one of the problems that you have with veterans is having a hard day. Veterans are reluctant and it’s very difficult to get veterans to seek help. How does this help that and how do you deal with that?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. No, I so just from my personal perspective and dealing with, you know, my, my friends who are in the military, this helps because it’s such a huge convenience factor. Right. That’s that’s part of what this is, is, you know, you have veterans that during the day they’re working, you know, they they have kids or, you know, even even folks who are retired, they don’t want to drive, you know, fight for parking.

Sit, wait. Because if they go to that face to face care, typically with the issues that tell emergency care can take care of, they’re going to be less acute in the face to face environment, which usually indicates they’re going to wait longer. Right, because you’re sick. If they’re sick, people are going to go face to face care.

We’re going to see, you know, gunshot wound, chest pain. You know, GI bleeds. Whatever the case is, they’re going to get seen first.

David Martin: Right.

Josh Geiger: That switches the paradigm. We tell emergency care because you can call in and get seen immediately. So of course this changes I think behavior. We haven’t seen or done any official studies yet. But you can just see satisfaction scores. Veterans love it.

David Martin: So you are seeing immediately there’s no waiting. Is that what you’re saying?

Josh Geiger: No. Yeah. It’s it’s acute unscheduled care. Right. Which means veteran calls in. You call your medical center, you dial three. That’s as easy as it is to get. And it’s super easy. When you call in, you’re going to get a nurse. The nurse is going to say, hey, you know what’s what’s wrong?

David Martin: There’s no backlog. There’s no there’s always someone available, you know.

Josh Geiger: I mean, I’m I’m not going to say it’s like immediate like that. I mean, but there’s, there’s, it’s maybe at most you’re going to be waiting 2 to 3 minutes. Okay. That’s pretty impressive areas. But in most cases you’re getting right through okay.

David Martin: Our veterans tech savvy or is there technology involved in this is it’s just as simple as making a phone call.

Josh Geiger: I’m glad you asked that question because one yes, it is as simple as making a phone call. Right? But I want to hit on the point that most of the people that use this service are 65 years and older. So I really have a distaste for that. Well, our older veterans are not familiar with technology. They have our hard time.

They’ve proven that that is not the case. Right. So if if my mom, who’s also a marine Corps veteran, can call in and, and, you know, get care and trust me when I say she is not technically savvy, I think just about anybody else can do it.

David Martin: Okay. So if your mom could do it, anybody could do it. That’s your point.

Josh Geiger: Exactly. Yeah.

David Martin: How old?

Josh Geiger: Mom? Mom is 72.

David Martin: And mom mom’s a marine.

Josh Geiger: Yes. Both parents, Marine Corps dad. Marine Corps mom.

David Martin: Is is mom tougher than you?

Josh Geiger: Absolutely. Yeah.

David Martin: Has she used the service?

Josh Geiger: She has. Yeah. And did you.

David Martin: Have to walk through order? Did she just use it? Did she just pick it up? And you gave her a little instruction, which is always nice. With your help, tell your mother how to do something technology wise. But was she.

Josh Geiger: No problem. Yeah, she called me up and she said, hey, I got this new service, and I called in and got care. I didn’t have to drive because she lives an hour away and she lives in Maine, so, you know, she hates driving in the winter or she hates driving when it’s dark out. And she always. It’s a funny story because she always has a hard time explaining what I do in the VA.

And I got to tell her, like, mom, you know how you’re always asking what I do? And I said that that program is something I helped create, you know? So I got to tell her she.

David Martin: Just used the program without knowing that it was your program. Yeah. How are you getting the word out to veterans about this?

Josh Geiger: So that’s pretty much handled at a facility level, right? They do a lot of their own media and communications, but there’s a strategic, front to it from, you know, the national perspective. Obviously, we’re going to put out, standardized, you know, information tax literature. And then the facility is the public affairs officers. They spread that through town hall, social media, you name it.

David Martin: So one of your jobs here is you’re responsible for emergency care for the VA. Where did this idea come from? How did you get this?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. So, a point of clarity is, doctor Neil Patel is the executive director. He’s an emergency medicine doc and rightfully in charge of emergency care. I handle the operations part of it. Okay. Definitely don’t want me running the hell in there, but. All right. So this actually was born out of my own care journey.

I was at the time a traveling veteran and, you know, realized that, you know, guys like me who have, you know, injuries from the military, chronic issues at that point in time. And, you know, 20, 2017, my alternative was to go get an appointment with my primary care doc or go to the community E.R. urgent care or go to the VA, you know, urgent care.

And I was like, I knew enough at that time, like, I don’t have to sit here for this. Like somebody could see me over a phone. And that’s basically where the concept grew. And, we had our first pilot way back in the day in New Orleans and just, from there especially, it kicked off out West and just, you know, grew like wildfire.

David Martin: Is this just a phone call or is it a video call or it can it be either one.

Josh Geiger: Either.

David Martin: One? Okay. So so we could say, you know, like lift up their, you know, pull their shirt back on their, on their collar and go, what’s this on my neck.

Josh Geiger: Yeah. We actually have, stories of veterans, you know, in 75 plus where they had lacerations, you know, from a fall on their head. Right. And, they called in and they were able to help the veteran, you know, take care of the wound, redo the things that they needed to do. So he didn’t have to come back into the emergency department just to get that cleaned up.

They were able to do it over video.

David Martin: They said, go get a washcloth, wipe it down.

Josh Geiger: Yeah, walked him through it.

David Martin: Put a Band-Aid on.

Josh Geiger: There’s even examples of, cancer being diagnosed through emergency care. You know, getting saying the veterans for for test results, looking at pictures, being able to communicate different things to them like that. I mean, that’s pretty powerful.

David Martin: Sure, sure. This is this is not the best way to treat cancer. I think we could agree, but it’s a good way to sort of get the ball rolling, right?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. It’s a it’s a fun way to start your care. So it initiates the care. Yeah.

David Martin: And I understand that this is sort of an outgrowth of what it was called the PAC act, the promise to address comprehensive toxins, which was, you know, started off with the burn pits from Iraq. And that’s how all this sort of got, pushed forward. Is that is that right?

Josh Geiger: Well, I mean, not not 100%. Right. So the Pact act definitely helped, with all of our innovations and, you know, rollout. Right. But, this started before before that, it started pre-pandemic. So you look at, you know, all of the things that happened post, they just definitely enhanced the path that we were nationally on and set it up, I think quite a bit.

David Martin: So how long did it take to start this program? I mean, when did when did this, was this actually created? And now that you’re rolled out, what was the time period between creation and full national support?

Josh Geiger: I would say between creation and full national support. I’m going to say about two years.

David Martin: Okay. So hopefully along the way they worked out a few, got a few little kingson problems.

Josh Geiger: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I can remember the day that, you know, we started this, and, and from the day of the conversation with was with facility and network leaders, it was in production in 30 days. Right. Okay. You know, we tested it for several months, and then it just grew facility by facility until it became, a vision program.

And along the way, you know, technologies changed, processes have changed, policies have changed, in all of those and just helped, you know, move this along, I think, much better than we could have when we initially started.

David Martin: What are you happiest about the way it’s worked.

Josh Geiger: The convenience of it. I mean, just, you know, honestly, what I’m happiest about is that, you know, a guy like me can come up with an idea and it turns into a national program because. Because who am I, right? I’m just a guy that gets my care at VA. And the fact that I can say, hey, I have this idea and people buy into it, you know, it just it to me that makes me, you know, we call it bleed blue, right?

We the VA mission, I mean, and there’s a history of this in VA, you know, like, what is it, the patch that was created, that VA, I mean, so you can go back and you can find so to be a part of that history is what kind of geeks me out. Other than the fact that, you know, it’s easy to use and people love it, right?

But just being a part of that history is so cool to me.

David Martin: And that’s what public service is all about, isn’t it?

Josh Geiger: Yeah, absolutely.

David Martin: We’ve all seen the headlines in the papers about budget cuts federally to, you know, across the nation, especially the VA. How do you assure veterans that this program is going to last?

Josh Geiger: Emergency medicine is the front door, of VA. Right. So, I think the benefit that we have is we have emergency medicine docs who are providing the care to veterans. So this is just another shift for them where they already would have been there. And you can see, you know, the veterans voice really carries through here.

So the satisfaction, it really just amplifies the fact that this program is loved. It’s still strong and it just continues to progress and grow and move forward.

David Martin: So we’re going to be here a while.

Josh Geiger: I believe so.

David Martin: Okay. All right. We’re going to get your thoughts on government. And that’s going to come up after this. The Good Government show is sponsored by our that’s oh you are for our community. Get involved. We hear that all the time from government leaders. Our co-branded with your governments name and logo. Your staff and the people you serve are connected and part of your community.

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David Martin: All right. This is our good government show questionnaire. You are in government. For a long time either active duty, marine or here with the Veterans Administration defined good government. What is good government to you?

Josh Geiger: Good government. Wow. That’s a that’s a hard question.

David Martin: You know, ask.

Josh Geiger: No, these.

David Martin: Are the easy ones. Come on.

Josh Geiger: You know, the government is supposed to be here for the people, right? So, for the people, by the people not to go all, you know, constitutional on you. But I mean, in a sense, that’s what we’re here for, right? We’re here to serve. And I think that if we create spaces where, you know, people can do that, they can elevate ideas to the tops that, ultimately get implemented to the front line to, to serve people to me, that, that that’s good government.

Is it functioning? It’s good.

David Martin: So, you know, there’s the Veterans Administration, especially VA hospitals. I mean, you sort of hit on this a little bit before, you know, there are there are long waits and there have been long waits at times. What can people do if they don’t feel like the VA is working right for them?

Josh Geiger: Well, that’s that’s the thing is, is VA care is community care, right? It’s all it’s all one in the same. So thankfully, as a veteran, we have choices, right? We have the ability to get to seek community care where, you know, we don’t have VA care. And in some instances that, that, that vice versa, there’s no community care.

There’s VA care. That’s a that’s a luxury. I think that we have as veterans in this country to be able to get those services right. So we have the ability to to seek out and find where there is access and go get that care.

David Martin: So you you mentioned before your both your parents are Marines. You’re a marine. What made you want to stay in public service and not, you know, get out and do something different? Why why do you stay?

Josh Geiger: It all started, I came out of the military. I had to get surgery. And I didn’t have a great experience. Went in to complain. And the guy I went to complain to, And I tell this story for for relevance because it leads to why I’m here. Right. But, the guy I went to complain to was a chief corpsman.

Right. And as I kind of alluded to before, you know, Marines and corpsman, we have a long history of, you know, they take care of us, right? There are docs. And he simply said, hey, you’re not going to fix it from out there. Marine. And so, you know, checking my ego at that point, I was like, okay, challenge accepted.

And that he was.

David Martin: Messing with the wrong marine, wasn’t it?

Josh Geiger: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You know, that was that was, you know, that’s been my true north ever since is, you know, find where I feel like I can make a difference and try, you know, and if I’m not trying, then, you know, I’m I’m I’m of no use to people who are getting the care here if I’m not trying to make it better.

David Martin: Is this where you always thought you’d be? Is doing something in public service, or did you think you were going to be, career marine?

Josh Geiger: I thought I was going to be a career marine until I got hurt, you know, had a steel plate, on my shoulder. I couldn’t lift my arm up. So they were like, hey, you know, you can’t use you right now. And, you know, so I had, you know, I got out of the Marines and kind of bounced around, had no clue what I was going to do, and then found my way into industrial and organizational psychology.

Really fell in love with that. So I love the science of, like, understanding people and behaviors and realized that I could really apply it here in VA. Did I ever see myself in the position that I’m in now? No. But do I love it? Yes, because I feel like I can have the most influence to make the most good happen.

David Martin: What would you like people to know about the Veterans Administration?

Josh Geiger: That the people, the people that work here truly, truly love what they do. They love the mission. There isn’t one person. And I look, I’ve been to like I think 60 VA’s and I’ve in over 20 years, I’ve never been to a place where I haven’t met somebody who isn’t truly in love with the mission and truly loves taking care of veterans no matter at what.

You know what level of the organization you’re in. And I think that that’s like the heartbeat of what makes us great is that the people just love being here and are truly dedicated.

David Martin: What’s the best part of your job?

Josh Geiger: Well, it’s pretty cool being able to talk to you. No.

David Martin: Well, thank you.

Josh Geiger: No, the best part of my job is I get to do things like tell emergency care, you know? I mean, I got to work on creating a whole new policy for urgent care where we’re expanding urgent care in rural areas. Never been done before. You know, I get to. I get to work on stuff like that. I get to work with people who have these great ideas, and I get to elevate them and bring them forward to try and make positive change.

Right. So who wouldn’t like that?

David Martin: Have you ever thought about leaving the VA and going to work for a you know, a private hospital and doubling your salary?

Josh Geiger: No, I well, look, it has a thought creep in here and there. Yeah. Of course, who doesn’t who doesn’t like it? Interested from, you know, some money every now and again, but, No, I mean, like, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, on the outside, you know, it would be more focused on, you know, measures and profit generation than, you know, what I’m able to do here, which is focus simply on care.

And, you know, maybe there’ll be a day where, you know, I’m not not here anymore, but it’s not today, and it’s not in the foreseeable future. I truly love what I do.

David Martin: So you run operations for emergency? For its health. Emergency care nationwide. Something must keep you up at night. What is it? Man, do you want to start the list now?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. No, I mean, honestly, the. So I have an approach where, you know, I come here and I remove feelings, you know, which is easier said than done. So I try to, to leave work at work because I do have, you know, three kids, a wife. And I got to make sure that I give them the right time and attention.

But what keeps me up at night is, you know, do we have processes and programs in place for when things break and when things break, and there’s nothing there to fix it in the appropriate amount of time? That that’s really what keeps me up at night. So I’m always trying to make sure we have redundancies and processes in place, because I’ve seen too many times where we didn’t think of something which ultimately impacted or delayed, you know, care or an operation from, from occurring.

And so that’s what keeps me up at night is the unknown, unintended consequences that ultimately, at some point in time will break or will raise to the surface. And we didn’t think it through or we didn’t bring the right stakeholder in, yeah. You’re going to get me going on a soapbox. Yeah. That’s that’s what keeps me.

David Martin: All right. I want to switch to topic that usually I ask this of elected, politicians, mayors and governors and senators, etc.. I asked them what their favorite local dish is in their neighborhood, but I’m going to ask you a twist on that. What’s the best meal you had in the military?

Josh Geiger: The best meal I had in the military was, Man. And where was it? It was actually Parris Island, right after The Crucible. And I think sleep deprivation and lack of.

David Martin: Food.

Josh Geiger: May have contributed to this. Okay. But it was the one time the marine Corps went all out and we basically had Air Force level food. Okay. And they call it the Warriors Breakfast. And, you know, like, we could eat whatever we wanted. And it was it was delicious and great. But that definitely by far is probably the best dinner I’ve had in the Marine Corps.

David Martin: Just because you were done at it, I could have I say, oh, I don’t have to worry for the next 24 hours.

Josh Geiger: All right. Yeah, yeah, it was, it was, it was all right. Yeah. For sure.

David Martin: So a wife. Good good good good on the Marines for serving you. I did not expect Parris Island to have the best food in the Marines, but hey, listen, I’m glad you got a good meal. A wife and three kids. What do you do for fun?

Josh Geiger: So I like to write, play music. We love to travel. I love the beach. So anytime I get a chance to sort of, you know, do that stuff. I also have, a little girl named Pepper. She’s my dog. She basically tolerates everybody else. And so, you know, just by just spending time with them, doing different things, watching movies, referencing, you know, pop culture, just hanging out, having a good time.

David Martin: What’s the most impactful thing that you think that the VA does overall? What what’s something that people might not know about the VA that they do? I guess that’s sort of two questions.

Josh Geiger: Yeah. No, you’re asking me all these, questions where I could go on for four hours, but, what does the VA do? I think just, the adaptability and change, I don’t I don’t think, you know, because when you look, when you think of government, is it fast? Is it efficient? You know, no, but it gets the job done in VA, I think is exceptional at that, where it may not move at the pace of the private sector, but we we adapt and we change so quickly.

And it’s based on the voice of the veteran. And I think that, maybe sometimes that that isn’t truly seen where we, we are listening. We do hear you. Right. And many of the people that work here also get their care here. Right? So we are in places where we’re advocating for positive change when things are broken or need to change.

Right. And I think we do that very well fluidly for such a large organization. And that probably gets missed sometimes.

David Martin: This is the good government show, and we always like to bring it back to good government. Tell me about some good government project that you’ve been involved with at the VA that that you know, would impress folks?

Josh Geiger: Yeah. Outside of Selma and secure. It’s it’s completely revamping, urgent care and, we, you know, since we’ve revamped it, we’ve expanded it to a clinics in Hawaii. I think.

David Martin: That you have to go. You better go check that out. Have you had a chance to look at the office in Hawaii and make sure it’s up to speed?

Josh Geiger: It’s a running joke. Where, hey, we need to go down there and check this place out. But now they’re pretty good on their own. They’re smart people down there, and they know what they’re doing, so I’m going to leave them alone. All right? But, no, I think one of the things that, you know, being in this is temporary role that I’m in right now or access operations, I get to see things at a different level of the organization.

And so one of the things that I’m really, proud about working on is just, aligning and organizing how we approach access initiatives and how we, are working hard to get on the same page, remove redundancies, you know, that are or remove duplication and keep necessary redundancies where, where they’re needed. But you know tell emergency care or in expansion of urgent care are definitely my too like icing on the cake of my career.

The things that I’m most proud of.

David Martin: Josh Geiger, emergency care, the US Veterans Administration, excellent discussion about being in public service and taking good care of our veterans. So thanks for being a veteran and thanks for taking care of your of your friends and your colleagues and your your your mates. So well done.

Josh Geiger: Thank you I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

David Martin: After you get done with this episode, hear more good government stories with our friends at How to Really Run a City for mayors. Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, and their co-host, journalist and author Larry Platt talk with guests and other mayors about how to really get stuff done in cities around the nation. Check them out where you’re listening now or through their nonprofit news site, The Philadelphia Citizen.

Dot org slash podcasts.

Here’s something I didn’t consider until I talk with Josh Geiger. It’s the men and women of the VA are made up and a large percentage of veterans. So when you think about the people who work for the VA and provide their care, really they’re helping themselves and their fellow vets like Josh, they understand what vets are going through and they know what they need.

That’s good government working for everyone. As we continue to hear about changes and cuts to the federal level, tell emergency care is working. So even in the face of these changes, there’s still good government out there and serving the people that need it. And that is good government. And the best people in Parris Island, the Marine Corps Training Center.

Yeah, it’s surprising, but I suspect that after you finish Marine Corps training, it probably is the best meal ever. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share this with your friends and review us right here where you’re listening, and check out our website. Good government show.com for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere.

Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

The Good Government show is a Valley Park production. Jim Ludlow, Dave Martin, that’s me and David Snyder are the executive producers. Our show is edited and produced by Jason Stershic. Please subscribe, then share and like us and review us. That’s the best way to make sure we’re able to keep telling these stories of our government working for all of us.

Then listen to the next episode of The Good Government Show.

**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.