Good morning, everybody. A few minutes ago, Secretary Shinseki and Rob Nabors, who I’ve temporarily assigned to work with the VA, presented me with the department’s initial review of VA facilities nationwide. And what they’ve found is that the misconduct has not been limited to a few VA facilities, but many across the country. That’s totally unacceptable. Our veterans deserve the best. They’ve earned it. Last week, I said that if we found misconduct, it would be punished. And I meant it. 大家早上好。几分钟前，新关部长和我临时派到退伍军人事务部工作的罗布·内伯斯，向我提交了该部门对全国退伍军人事务机构的初步审查结果。他们发现，违规行为并非只发生在少数几处设施，而是遍及全国多地。这完全不能接受。我们的退伍军人理应获得最好的服务，这是他们应得的。上周我说过，一旦发现违规，就会予以惩处。我说到做到。
Secretary Shinseki has now begun the process of firing many of the people responsible, including senior leaders at the Phoenix VA. He’s canceled any possible performance bonuses this year for VHA senior executives. And he has ordered the VA to personally contact every veteran in Phoenix waiting for appointments to get them the care that they need and that they deserve. 新关部长现已开始解雇许多责任人员，其中包括凤凰城退伍军人医疗机构的高层负责人。他取消了退伍军人卫生管理局高级主管今年可能获得的所有绩效奖金。他还命令退伍军人事务部逐一联系凤凰城所有等待预约的退伍军人，让他们得到所需且应得的医疗照护。
This morning, I think some of you also heard Ric [Gen. Shinseki] take a truly remarkable action -- in public remarks, he took responsibility for the conduct of those facilities, and apologized to his fellow veterans and to the American people. And a few minutes ago, Secretary Shinseki offered me his own resignation. With considerable regret, I accepted. 今天上午，我想你们中有些人也听到里克，也就是新关将军，采取了一项真正了不起的行动：他在公开讲话中承担了这些机构行为的责任，并向退伍军人同袍和美国人民道歉。几分钟前，新关部长向我提出辞呈。我十分遗憾地接受了。
Ric Shinseki has served his country with honor for nearly 50 years. He did two tours of combat in Vietnam -- he’s a veteran who left a part of himself on the battlefield. He rose to command the First Cavalry Division, served as Army Chief of Staff, and has never been afraid to speak truth to power. 里克·新关以荣誉之身为国效力将近五十年。他曾两次赴越南参战，身体的一部分永远留在了战场上。他后来指挥第一骑兵师，担任陆军参谋长，从不畏惧向权力讲真话。
As Secretary at the VA, he presided over record investments in our veterans -- enrolling 2 million new veterans in health care, delivering disability pay to more Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, making it easier for veterans with post-traumatic stress, mental health issues and traumatic brain injury to get treatment, improving care for our women veterans. At the same time, he helped reduce veteran homelessness, and helped more than 1 million veterans, servicemembers and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. 担任退伍军人事务部长期间，他主持了对退伍军人创纪录的投入：让二百万名退伍军人新纳入医疗保障，为更多曾接触橙剂的越战老兵发放伤残补助，使患有创伤后应激障碍、精神健康问题和创伤性脑损伤的退伍军人更容易获得治疗，并改善对女性退伍军人的照护。与此同时，他帮助减少退伍军人无家可归现象，还通过“后九一一退伍军人教育法案”，帮助一百多万名退伍军人、现役军人及其家属求学。
So Ric’s commitment to our veterans is unquestioned. His service to our country is exemplary. I am grateful for his service, as are many veterans across the country. He has worked hard to investigate and identify the problems with access to care, but as he told me this morning, the VA needs new leadership to address them. He does not want to be a distraction, because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure our vets are getting the care that they need. That was Ric’s judgment on behalf of his fellow veterans. And I agree. We don't have time for distractions. We need to fix the problem. 因此，里克对退伍军人的承诺毋庸置疑。他为国家作出的贡献堪称表率。我感谢他的服务，全国许多退伍军人也一样。他努力调查并查明医疗服务获取方面的问题，但正如他今天上午告诉我的，退伍军人事务部需要新的领导来解决这些问题。他不愿成为干扰，因为他最关心的是解决问题，确保我们的退伍军人得到所需的照护。这是里克代表退伍军人同袍作出的判断，我同意。我们没有时间被其他事分散精力，必须解决问题。
For now, the leader that will help move us forward is Sloan Gibson, who will take on the reins as Acting Secretary. Sloan became Deputy Secretary at the VA just three months ago, but he, too, has devoted his life to serving our country and our veterans. His grandfather fought on the front lines of World War I. 目前，帮助我们继续向前推进的领导人是斯隆·吉布森，他将担任代理部长。斯隆仅在三个月前出任退伍军人事务部副部长，但他同样毕生致力于服务国家和退伍军人。他的祖父曾在第一次世界大战的前线作战。
His father was a tail-gunner in World War II. Sloan graduated from West Point, earned his Airborne and Ranger qualifications, and served in the infantry. And most recently, he was President and CEO of the USO, which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, their families, our wounded warriors, and families of the fallen. 他的父亲在第二次世界大战中担任轰炸机尾炮手。斯隆毕业于西点军校，取得空降兵和游骑兵资格，并在步兵部队服役。最近，他担任美国劳军组织总裁兼首席执行官。该组织出色地支持参战的男女军人、他们的家人、受伤军人，以及阵亡者家属。
So all told, Sloan has 20 years of private sector and nonprofit experience that he brings to bear on our ongoing work to build a 21st century VA. And I’m grateful that he is willing to take on this task. 总的来说，斯隆拥有二十年的私营部门和非营利组织经验，他会把这些经验用于我们建设二十一世纪退伍军人事务部的持续工作。我感谢他愿意承担这项任务。
I met with Sloan after I met with Ric this morning, and made it clear that reforms should not wait. They need to proceed immediately. I’ve also asked Rob Nabors to stay at the VA temporarily to help Sloan and the department through this transition, and to complete his own review of the VHA. In the meantime, we’re going to look diligently for a new permanent VA Secretary and we hope to confirm that successor and fill that post as soon as possible. 今天上午与里克会面后，我又见了斯隆，明确告诉他改革不能等待，必须立即推进。我还请罗布·内伯斯暂时留在退伍军人事务部，帮助斯隆和该部门完成过渡，并完成他对退伍军人卫生管理局的审查。同时，我们将认真寻找新的正式部长，希望尽快确认继任者，填补这一职位。
We’re going to do right by our veterans across the board, as long as it takes. We're not going to stop working to make sure that they get the care, the benefit, and the opportunities that they’ve earned and they deserve. I said we wouldn’t tolerate misconduct, and we will not. I said that we have to do better, and we will. There are too many veterans receiving care right now who deserve all of our best efforts -- and an honest assessment if something is not working. 我们将始终为全国退伍军人履行应尽的责任，不管需要多久。我们不会停止工作，直到他们得到应得的照护、福利和机会。我说过绝不容忍违规行为，我们也确实不会容忍。我说过我们必须做得更好，我们也一定会做到。现在有太多接受照护的退伍军人值得我们竭尽全力；若有事情行不通，也值得得到坦诚的评估。
This week, I visited some of our men and women in uniform at different stages of their service: our newest Army officers who graduated from West Point; our troops currently serving in Afghanistan; our veterans and our military families at Arlington. And what I saw is what I’ve seen in every single servicemember, veteran, and military spouse that I have had the privilege to meet -- a selfless, clear-eyed commitment to serving their country the best way that they know how. They’re the best that our country has to offer. They do their duty. They expect us to do ours. 本周，我探访了处于服役不同阶段的军人：刚从西点军校毕业的新任陆军军官、目前在阿富汗服役的部队，以及在阿灵顿的退伍军人和军属。我看到的，与我有幸见过的每一位现役军人、退伍军人和军人配偶身上所见的一样：他们无私奉献、目光清醒，尽自己所能为国服务。他们是国家最优秀的人。他们履行了自己的职责，也期望我们履行我们的职责。
So, today, I want every man and woman who’s served under our flag to know -- whether your tour has been over for decades, or it’s just about to end -- we will never stop working to do right by you and your families. 所以，今天我想让每一位曾在国旗下服役的男女军人知道：无论你的服役生涯已经结束几十年，还是即将结束，我们都会一直努力善待你和你的家人。
Let me take a couple questions. Leo Shane from Military Times. 我来回答几个问题。《军事时报》的利奥·谢恩。
Question: Mr. President, what changed in your opinion of Secretary Shinseki in the last few days? You had said you had confidence in him -- even him coming in today and saying it was time for him to resign. What made the difference in your mind? 记者：总统先生，过去几天里，是什么改变了您对新关部长的看法？您曾说对他有信心；甚至在他今天来告诉您是时候辞职之前也是如此。究竟是什么让您的想法发生了变化？
President Obama: Ric’s judgment. I think his belief that he would be a distraction from the task at hand, which is to make sure that what’s broken gets fixed so that his fellow veterans are getting the services that they need. 奥巴马总统：是里克自己的判断。我想，他认为自己会分散人们对眼前任务的注意力。而眼前的任务是修复已经出问题的地方，让他的退伍军人同袍获得所需服务。
I want to reiterate, he is a very good man. I don’t just mean he’s an accomplished man. I don’t just mean that he’s been an outstanding soldier. He’s a good person who’s done exemplary work on our behalf. And under his leadership, we have seen more progress on more fronts at the VA and a bigger investment in the VA than just about any other VA Secretary: Cut veterans’ homelessness by 24 percent; 我想重申，他是个非常好的人。我不只是说他成就卓著，也不只是说他是一位杰出的军人。他是个品格高尚的人，代表我们做出了堪称典范的工作。在他的领导下，退伍军人事务部在更多领域取得了进展，投入也比几乎任何其他部长任内都大：退伍军人无家可归人数减少了百分之二十四；
brought in folks who had been exposed to Agent Orange who had been waiting for decades to get the services and benefits that they had earned; making sure that post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury was dealt with in a serious way; making sure we had facilities for our women vets, who all too often weren’t receiving the kind of specialized services that they needed. 把那些接触过橙剂、等了几十年才盼到应得服务和福利的人纳入保障；认真处理创伤后应激障碍和创伤性脑损伤；为女性退伍军人提供专门设施，因为她们过去往往得不到所需的专业服务。
So he’s been a champion of our veterans. And where there’s problems, he has been ready and willing to get in there and fix them. So with the disability backlog that had shot up as a consequence of the admission of the Agent Orange veterans, as well as making it easier to apply for post-traumatic stress disorder disability claims -- when it spiked, he went at it in a systematic way, and we’ve now cut it by 50 percent over the course of the last year or so. 因此，他一直是退伍军人的捍卫者。哪里出现问题，他就愿意深入处理。由于将接触过橙剂的老兵纳入保障，并让创伤后应激障碍的伤残申请更容易提出，积压的伤残申请一度激增；当数量上升时，他以系统方式着手解决。过去一年左右，我们已经将积压量削减了百分之五十。
He’s not adverse to admitting where there’s a problem and going after it. But we occupy a -- not just an environment that calls for management fixes, we’ve also got to deal with Congress and you guys. And I think Ric’s judgment that he could not carry out the next stages of reform without being a distraction himself. 他不回避承认问题，也会着手解决。但我们面对的环境不只是需要改进管理；我们还必须同国会以及你们记者打交道。我认为里克的判断是，他自己若成为干扰，就无法推进下一阶段的改革。
And so my assessment was, unfortunately, that he was right. I regret that he has to resign under these circumstances, but I also have confidence in Sloan, and I share Ric Shinseki’s assessment that the number-one priority is making sure that problems get fixed so that if there’s a veteran out there who needs help that they’re getting a schedule and they’re able to come in and see a doctor, 因此，遗憾的是，我的评估认为他是对的。我很遗憾他必须在这种情况下辞职，但我也对斯隆有信心。我赞同里克·新关的看法：首要任务是解决问题，使任何需要帮助的退伍军人都能预约，并进来看医生；
and that if there are facilities that don’t have enough doctors or do not have enough nurses or do not have enough space, that that information immediately gets in the hands of decision-makers, all the way up to me and all the way to Congress, so that we can get more resources in there to help folks. 如果某些机构缺少医生、护士或空间，这些信息必须立即传到决策者手中，一直上报到我和国会，以便我们投入更多资源帮助大家。
And that seems to be the biggest problem. I think that’s the thing that offended Secretary Shinseki the most during the course of this process. He described to me the fact that when he was in theater, he might have to order an attack just based on a phone call from some 20-something-year-old corporal, and he’s got to trust that he’s getting good information -- and it’s life or death. 这似乎就是最大的问题。我想，在整个过程中，最令新关部长愤慨的就是这一点。他告诉我，在战场上，他可能仅凭一名二十出头下士的电话就必须下令攻击；他必须相信自己得到的是准确消息，因为事关生死。
And I think he is deeply disappointed in the fact that bad news did not get to him, and that the structures weren’t in place for him to identify this problem quickly and fix it. His priority now is to make sure that happens, and he felt like new leadership would be -- would serve our veterans best. And I agree with him. 我想他非常失望的是，坏消息没有传到他那里，也没有相应机制让他迅速发现并解决这个问题。他现在的首要考虑是确保这种机制建立起来。他觉得由新的领导人接手，才最有利于退伍军人。我同意他的判断。
Phil Mattingly. 菲尔·马廷利。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Based on the audit, at least the early stage audit the Secretary presented to you, is there a sense that there was criminal wrongdoing? And I guess more broadly, how much responsibility do you personally bear, as this being an issue you campaigned on and cared about deeply -- you said cared about deeply during your administration -- now that we’re at this point? 记者：谢谢，总统先生。根据部长向您提交的审计结果，至少是初步审计结果，您是否认为存在犯罪行为？再从更广的角度说，您本人应承担多大责任？毕竟这是您竞选时提出并高度关注的问题，您也说过在执政期间十分重视它，而如今事态发展到了这一步。
President Obama: Well, I will leave it up to the Justice Department to make determinations in terms of whether there’s been criminal wrongdoing. In terms of responsibility, as I’ve said before, this is my administration; I always take responsibility for whatever happens. And this is an area that I have a particular concern with. 奥巴马总统：是否存在犯罪行为，我会交由司法部判断。至于责任，正如我以前说过的，这是我的政府；无论发生什么，我始终承担责任。而这个领域是我特别关心的。
This predates my presidency. When I was in the Senate, I was on the Veterans Affairs Committee. I heard firsthand veterans who were not getting the kinds of services and benefits that they had earned. And I pledged that if I had the privilege of serving as Commander-in-Chief and President, that we would fix it. 在我担任总统之前，问题就已经存在了。我在参议院时是退伍军人事务委员会成员，亲耳听到退伍军人说，他们没有得到应得的服务和福利。我当时承诺，如果有幸担任三军统帅和总统，就会解决这个问题。
The VA is a big organization that has had problems for a very long time -- in some cases, management problems; in some cases, funding problems. And so what we’ve tried to do is to systematically go after the problems that we were aware of and fix them. And where we have seen our veterans not being properly served -- whether it was too many homeless veterans, or a disability claims process that was taking too long -- we would go at it and chip away at it and fix it. 退伍军人事务部是个庞大的机构，长期存在问题：有些是管理问题，有些是经费问题。因此，我们一直努力系统地处理已知问题并加以解决。当发现退伍军人没有得到妥善服务时，不论是太多人无家可归，还是伤残申请办理过慢，我们都会着手一点点解决。
When it came to funding, we’ve increased funding for VA services in an unprecedented fashion, because we understood that it’s not enough just to give lip service to our veterans, but not being willing to put our money where our mouth is. 在经费方面，我们以前所未有的幅度增加了退伍军人事务服务的拨款，因为我们明白，不能只在口头上支持退伍军人，却不愿拿出真金白银兑现承诺。
And so what I can say confidently is that this has been a priority, it’s been a priority reflected in my budget, and that in terms of managing the VA, where we have seen a problem, where we have been aware of a problem, we have gone after it and fixed it, and have been able to make significant progress. 所以，我可以有把握地说，这一直是我们的优先事项，我的预算也体现了这一点。在管理退伍军人事务部时，只要我们发现、知道有问题，就会着手处理，并且已经取得重大进展。
But what is absolutely clear is this one, this issue of scheduling, is one that the reporting systems inside of the VHA did not surface to the level where Ric was aware of it or we were able to see it. This was not something that we were hearing when I was traveling around the country -- the particular issues of schedule. And what we’re going to have to do -- part of the review is going to have to be to see how do we make sure that we get information about systems that aren’t working. 但绝对清楚的一点是，预约安排方面的这个问题，没有通过退伍军人卫生管理局内部的报告系统上报到里克知晓、或我们能够看到的层级。我走访全国时，也没有听到关于预约安排的这些具体问题。审查工作的一部分，必须研究如何确保我们能获得各个系统失灵的信息。
I just was talking to Rob Nabors, and he described to me, for example, just in very specific detail, how in some of these facilities you’ve got computer systems for scheduling that date back to the ‘90s; situations in which one scheduler might have to look at four or five different screens to figure out where there’s a slot and where there might be a doctor available; situations in which they’re manually passing requests for an appointment over to somebody else, who’s then inputting them. Right? So you have in many cases old systems, broken-down systems. 我刚与罗布·内伯斯谈过。他十分具体地向我说明，例如，某些机构使用的预约电脑系统可以追溯到上世纪九十年代；一名预约员可能得查看四五个不同画面，才能弄清哪里有空档、哪位医生可以接诊；还有人把预约申请手工转交给另一人，再由后者录入系统。明白吗？所以，许多地方用的是老旧、失灵的系统。
This is stuff that is eminently fixable, but we’ve got to know about it. And the big concern that I’ve got, and what I’m going to be interested in finding out, is how is it that in a number of these facilities, if, in fact, you have veterans who are waiting too long for an appointment, that that information didn’t surface sooner so that we could go ahead and fix it. 这些问题完全可以解决，但我们必须先知道它们的存在。我最关心、也最想弄清楚的是：如果多家机构确有退伍军人等待预约的时间过长，为什么这些信息没有更早上报，好让我们及时解决？
One last point I want to make on this: When veterans have gotten access to the system, the health care itself that they are receiving has gotten high marks from our veterans service organizations and the veterans themselves. 关于这一点，我还要说最后一件事：一旦退伍军人进入这一体系，退伍军人服务组织和退伍军人本人对他们获得的医疗照护，都给予了很高评价。
So I think it’s important to keep in mind that what the review indicates so far, at least, is that there have been great strides made in the actual care provided to veterans. The challenge is getting veterans into the door, particularly for their first appointment, in some cases, and where they don’t have an established relationship with a doctor and they’re not in the system. 因此，我认为必须记住，至少迄今为止，审查表明实际提供给退伍军人的医疗服务已经取得很大进展。难题是如何让退伍军人走进系统，特别是有时他们第一次预约、尚未与医生建立固定关系、还未进入系统的时候。
Part of that is going to be technology. Part of that is management. But as Ric Shinseki himself indicated, there is a need for a change in culture within the VHA, and perhaps the VHA as a whole -- or the VA as a whole that makes sure that bad news gets surfaced quickly so that things can be fixed. And I know that was the attitude of Secretary Shinseki, and that was what he communicated to folks under him but they didn’t execute. And that’s a problem. 解决问题一方面靠技术，一方面靠管理。但正如新关本人指出的，退伍军人卫生管理局内部需要改变文化；或许整个卫生管理局，乃至整个退伍军人事务部，都必须形成让坏消息迅速上报、使问题及时得到解决的机制。我知道新关部长秉持的就是这种态度，也向下属传达了这种要求，但他们没有执行。这是一个问题。
Christi Parsons, last question. 克里斯蒂·帕森斯，最后一个问题。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. You said that it was the General’s own judgment that made the decision for you here. If I remember correctly, Secretary Sebelius offered you her resignation after healthcare.gov failed, and you declined to take it. So I wonder if there’s a little bit of scapegoating taking place here. 记者：谢谢，总统先生。您说，是将军自己的判断促使您作出这里的决定。如果我没记错，医保网站失败后，西贝利厄斯部长也向您提出过辞呈，但您没有接受。因此我想知道，这里是否有一点把责任推给替罪羊的意味。
President Obama: Meaning? 奥巴马总统：你的意思是？
Question: Meaning, I mean, the dysfunction within the department seems to have been very deep and very widespread. 记者：我的意思是，这个部门内部的失灵似乎根深蒂固，而且范围很广。
President Obama: Yes. 奥巴马总统：是的。
Question: So is lopping off the head of it really the best step to take going forward here? What I’m asking is, is there a political reason for removing him other than going straight to the problem of the bureaucracy? 记者：那么，仅仅撤掉最高负责人，真是今后最好的办法吗？我的问题是，除了直面官僚机构的问题之外，撤换他是否还有政治上的原因？
President Obama: Well, the distractions that Ric refers to in part are political. He needs to be -- at this stage, what I want is somebody at the VA who is not spending time outside of solving problems for the veterans. 奥巴马总统：嗯，里克所说的干扰，一部分确实来自政治。现阶段，我需要退伍军人事务部的负责人把时间用在解决退伍军人的问题上，而不是耗在其他事上。
I want somebody who’s spending every minute of every day figuring out have we called every single veteran that’s waiting; have they gotten a schedule; are we fixing the system; what kind of new technology do we need; have we made a realistic assessment of how long the wait times are right now, and how are we going to bring those wait times down in certain facilities where the wait times are too long; if we need more money, how much more money do we need to ask from Congress, and how am I going to make sure Congress delivers on that additional funding. 我希望这个人每天每时每刻都在想：我们是否已联系所有等待的退伍军人？他们是否已经约上？我们是否在修复系统？需要什么新技术？我们是否如实评估目前的等待时间？在等待时间过长的机构，怎样缩短等候？如果需要更多资金，要向国会提出多少？我又怎样确保国会拨付这笔追加经费？
That’s what I want somebody at the VA focused on. Not how are they getting second-guessed, and speculations about their futures, and so forth and so on. And that was what Ric agreed to, as well. 这才是我希望退伍军人事务部负责人专注的事，而不是担心别人如何质疑自己、猜测自己的前途，等等。里克也认同这一点。
With respect to Secretary Sebelius, at the time I thought it would be a distraction to replace somebody at HHS at a time when we were trying to fix that system. And I wanted to just stay focused because I knew that if we bear down on it and we got folks enrolled that it would work. 至于西贝利厄斯部长，当时我们正试图修复那个系统，我认为替换卫生与公众服务部负责人会分散注意力。我希望继续专注于解决问题，因为我知道，只要全力投入、让人们完成参保，系统就能运转。
So in each instance, my primary decision is based on, how can I deliver service to the American people, and in this case, how can I deliver for our veterans. And because they are people of integrity, I think in both the cases of Secretary Sebelius, but certainly in the case here of Ric Shinseki, they’ve got the same priority. They’re view is, what is it that is going to best deliver on behalf of folks who, as Ric said this morning, have been let down. 因此，在每一种情况下，我作决定的首要依据都是：怎样为美国人民提供服务；在这件事上，就是怎样为退伍军人办事。我认为西贝利厄斯部长和里克·新关都是正直的人，尤其是此刻的里克，他们与我有同样的优先目标。他们考虑的是，怎样才能最好地服务那些人——正如里克今天上午所说，那些曾被辜负的人。
Question: I remember at the time that you felt she had so much knowledge about what had gone wrong that you couldn’t afford to lose that. 记者：我记得当时您认为，她太了解出了什么问题，不能失去她。
President Obama: Right. 奥巴马总统：对。
Question: Does somebody with three months in leadership at the department have the capacity to attack the problem quickly now? 记者：一个只在该部门领导岗位工作了三个月的人，现在有能力迅速解决问题吗？
President Obama: Well, we’re going to need a new VA Secretary. So Sloan is acting. Sloan, I think, would be the first to acknowledge that he’s going to have a learning curve that he’s got to deal with. 奥巴马总统：我们需要一位新的退伍军人事务部长，所以斯隆目前只是代理。我想，斯隆会第一个承认，他还需要经历一个学习过程。
But the nature of the problem that has surfaced and has been the cause of this attention is one that we can start tackling right away, and without completely transforming the system we can immediately make some progress. We’re going to have some longer-term issues that we’re going to have to take care of. 但眼下暴露出来、引发关注的问题，我们可以立即开始处理；即使不彻底改造整个系统，也能马上取得一些进展。当然，还有一些长期问题需要解决。
So my first step is everybody who’s out there waiting, get them an appointment. If we need more doctors, let’s figure out how we can surge some doctors in there to make sure that they’re getting the help that they need. What I wanted to make sure of then is that even if it’s still patchwork, how do we make sure that there is no slippage between somebody making a phone call and them getting an appointment scheduled. 我的第一步是：让所有还在等待的人都约上诊。如果需要更多医生，就想办法临时增派医生，确保他们得到所需帮助。之后，即使暂时还得靠一些补救办法，我也要确保从有人打电话提出申请到预约排定之间，不会有人被漏掉。
And let’s have a realistic time for how soon they’re going to get an appointment. Those are things that don’t require rocket science. It requires execution; it requires discipline; it requires focus. Those are things that Sloan has. 我们还要给出真实可信的就诊时间。这些事不需要什么高深科技，需要的是执行力、纪律性和专注力。斯隆具备这些品质。
There are then going to be some broader issues that we’re going to have to tackle. The information systems inside the VHA, those are probably going to have to be changed. That will cost some money, that will take some time, and it will have to be implemented. 接下来还有一些更广泛的问题需要处理。退伍军人卫生管理局内部的信息系统，可能必须更换。这要花钱、花时间，也需要真正落实。
I think there are going to have to be some changes in the culture within the VHA, because as I said, they’re providing very good service, medical treatment to our veterans when they get in the system, but they don’t have, apparently, the state-of-the-art operations that you would want to see, for example, in a major medical center or hospital. 我认为，退伍军人卫生管理局内部的文化也需要改变。正如我说过的，退伍军人一旦进入体系，就能得到很好的服务和医疗，但这里显然没有你在大型医疗中心或医院希望看到的先进运营方式。
Now, keep in mind, those of us who are outside of the VA system and try to get an appointment with the doctor in the private sector, and try to get an appointment for -- a schedule for a hospital visit, there are probably some wait times as well. So part of what we have to do is figure out what are realistic benchmarks for the system. 不过请记住，我们这些不在退伍军人事务部体系内的人，要向私营部门的医生预约，或安排住院，也可能需要等待。所以，我们必须确定这个系统切实可行的衡量标准。
And my suspicion is that with not only all the veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan coming back, but also the aging of our Vietnam vets who may have more chronic illnesses, may need more visits -- we may need to get more doctors, and we may need to get more nurses. 我估计，除了从伊拉克和阿富汗归来的退伍军人，越战老兵也在变老，可能患有更多慢性疾病，需要更频繁就诊。因此，我们或许需要更多医生，也需要更多护士。
And that’s going to cost some money, which means that’s going to have to be reflected in a Veterans Affairs budget, which I have consistently increased. Even during fiscally tight times, there’s been no area where I’ve put more priority than making sure that we’re delivering the kind of budget that’s necessary to make sure our veterans are being served, but it may still not be enough. 这会花钱，必须体现在退伍军人事务部的预算中，而我一直在增加这项预算。即使财政紧张，我也始终把提供必要经费、确保退伍军人得到服务放在最优先的位置之一；不过，这些钱可能仍然不够。
And we’re going to -- but before we start spending more money, our first job is let’s take care of some basic management issues that I think can be fixed. 我们会继续——但在投入更多资金之前，首要任务是先解决一些我认为能够解决的基本管理问题。
All right? Thank you. 好吗？谢谢。
