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FUTURE LOOKS POSITIVE FOR BROCKTON VA CAMPUS --
CARES Commission to decide final fate of
Boston-area VA facilities.
Background here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%
20newsflashes%20SEP%2006/newsflash09-09-2006-8.htm
Story here...
http://enterprise.southofboston.com/
articles/2006/09/10/news/news/news08.txt
Story below:
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Future looks positive for Brockton VA campus
By Jennifer Kovalich, Enterprise staff writer
BROCKTON — Plans for consolidating some of the Veterans Affairs services
in Massachusetts could see the Bedford VA being absorbed into the
Brockton campus on Belmont Street.
“None of it is going to hurt Brockton,” said Director of Veterans
Services Bob Gale.
At a public meeting scheduled for Sept. 18 at the Shaw's Center at 10
a.m., the Local Advisory Panel for the Boston-area Capital Asset
Realignment for Enhanced Services is expected to discuss the next steps
in determining the future of the Department of Veterans Affairs'
Boston-area facilities.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson has decided to study three
options to modernize and consolidate the four major VA health care
campuses in the Boston area, including Bedford, Brockton, West Roxbury
and Jamaica Plain VA facilities, according to the VA.
At the Sept. 18 meeting, the public is expected to learn more about the
options the VA contractor will study regarding the Boston-area VA health
care facilities.
These additional options include:
Consolidation of Bedford at Brockton, adding a community-based
outpatient clinic in the Bedford area to ensure that access to
outpatient services is not reduced to Bedford-area veterans.
Consolidating Bedford to Brockton, adding a community-based outpatient
clinic in the Bedford area and consolidating West Roxbury to Jamaica
Plain.
Consolidating Bedford to Brockton, adding a community-based outpatient
clinic in the Bedford area and consolidating Jamaica Plain to West
Roxbury. A new urban community-based outpatient clinic would be added.
Nicholson earlier this summer rejected consolidating all health care
services at one location.
Mayor James E. Harrington said the city has been watching the
proceedings closely and has advocated to keep the Brockton campus open.
“I think obviously they're listening to us and I think we have to
continue to bang home our point,” Harrington said.
If new jobs are created as a result of a consolidation, Harrington said
that would benefit the city's economy.
The city is also interested in making sure all the property at the
sprawling 143-acre campus is properly utilized, the mayor said.
“If they're not going to be using all the property, we want to do some
economic development, he said.
U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-Mass., has opposed the consolidation of
the four VA facilities and recently held a meeting to discuss the
options with veterans and veterans agents.
“While the VA continues to consider consolidating the West Roxbury and
Jamaica Plain facilities and moving critical services from Bedford to
Brockton, I believe that would hurt our veterans, and I will work to
ensure that does not happen,” Lynch said in a statement released after
that meeting.
Gale, the Brockton veterans agent, said he is not promoting the closure
of the Bedford facility, but said that the option would not harm
Brockton.
“We missed the bullet last time around when they eliminated the option
to do away with Brockton,” Gale said.
The VA is encouraging veterans, veterans agents and congressional
representatives and other stakeholders to attend the public meeting.
The VA panel will be taking formal statements from stakeholders on the
implementation issues of each option.
Oral statements will be limited to three minutes; however, anyone can
submit a written statement online at:
www.va.gov/cares , or write to: Boston Site Study, VA CARES Studies,
P.O. Box 1427, Washington Grove, M.D. 20880-1427.
Comments on this portion of the process will be accepted up to two weeks
following the public meeting. A summary of the public's comments will be
incorporated in the report provided to the secretary of veterans affairs
in early 2007.
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Larry Scott
