MCALLEN – A McAllen veteran wants the VA to expand their efforts against the opioid crisis also targeting those who served.

Gary Halford tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS he would like for the agency to move records of every veteran with a history of addiction into a consolidated national database.

He says he’s struggled with addiction to prescription drugs throughout the years since returning from the military in the 70s.

KRGV’s Frank McCaffrey contacted the VA spokesperson for the Washington, D.C. headquarters, Randal Noller.

He says a newly rolled-out program known as the Electronic Health Record Modernization Joint Commitment is allowing VA clinics to share patient data seamlessly across the country and with the Department of Defense.

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