CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Employees at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe are worried that they may lose their jobs and retired service members fear for the future of their health.
In recent weeks, rumors have circulated throughout the region that the VA in Ross County was closing. With speculation of an eventual closure widespread, the Guardian set out to find answers.
Last week, a meeting was allegedly held with staff at the hospital, who employs approximately 1,400 people on the Chillicothe campus, according to the federal government. While details of the meeting were not confirmed by the government, employees told the Guardian that the topic of discussion was closing parts — if not all of the Chillicothe campus.
VA representatives would not confirm if the campus in Chillicothe is closing. However, they said a study was recently done to determine its future. Once the results of the study are produced later this month the President of the United States will make the final decision.
“The VA is required by law to conduct a series of market assessments to examine future demand for health care services among the veteran population, which is projected to change in size and location over the next decade,” the VA said in a statement. “As part of that process, VA is due to submit findings and recommendations to an independent Commission called the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission, which would review and evaluate the findings and make its own recommendations to the President in early 2023.”
Officials say the results of Chillicothe’s assessment will not be announced until the middle part of March. If a closure or consolidation is recommended, Congress and President Joe Biden would have to make the final decision; Chillicothe’s VA facility has been in operation since 1924.
But after decades of servicing southern Ohio, why now? Well, the feds say it comes down to a new law.
In 2018, Congress passed the Mission Act. As part of the bill that was signed by now former-President Donald Trump, the government requires the VA to participate in AIR assessments.
This commission is charged with making recommendations regarding the modernization or realignment of facilities affiliated with the Veterans Health Administration.
A spokesperson for the Veterans Health Administration in Washington, D.C., told the Guardian, “Veterans will always be at the center of what we do. The AIR Commission is an opportunity to redesign VA health care to maximize access and outcomes for current and future generations of veterans. It is important to note that any recommendations to the upcoming AIR Commission are just that—recommendations.”
If the decision is made to shutter the campus, many veterans who find care locally will be disenfranchised.
“We’ve all heard the stories of the promises Uncle Sam made to these brave men and women during earlier conflicts. To take away their local medical care would be devastating,” said a passionate Johna Pulver. Pulver has been with the local veteran’s advocacy office for more than 30 years. Her father was in the United States military.
“One more slap to the face of those who willingly risk their lives to protect the rest of us. The service Chillicothe VA provides to the veterans of southern Ohio is essential. The convenience of location is critical to our older veterans. They are not numbers; they are human beings. Some have endured horrors the rest of us can’t begin to imagine. It is important they be allowed to remain close to home at this fragile stage of life.”
Pulver started to get emotional as the passion inside her became evident.
“As we approach the one-hundredth anniversary of the Chillicothe VA and think of the thousands of WWI war-wounded treated at Camp Sherman. The Spanish flu epidemic and the countless thousands who have served in every war and conflict since then have received medical treatment here. It is difficult for me to understand how anyone or any group of people claiming to have the best interests of America’s veterans at heart would think eliminating this facility is a good idea. ”
In 2020, the VA closed its acute care facility, spurring protests from veteran organizations and the American Federation of Government Employees Union. The decision left hundreds of local veterans having to trek to Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati for healthcare.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown pinned a letter regarding the consolidation and closure of the acute care facility.
“It has come to my attention that VA is in the process of consolidating positions within the facility, and neither the decision to do so nor the process has been transparent with veterans, their families, or local stakeholders. Any decision to consolidate services at a facility or close a medical service line should be transparent and provide for opportunities for the community to provide feedback,” said Senator Brown.
The rumors of the announcement have caught the attention of 2022 Gubernatorial hopefuls.
Former Dayton Mayor and Democratic Candidate Nan Whaley was fired up about the possible closure.
“The fact of the matter is, Ohio must do so much more to support our veterans. Our state is currently leaving federal VA money on the table to build and maintain veterans new facilities while our facilities have a waitlist,” she told the Guardian. “As Governor, I’ll fight to keep our promises to veterans by building at least 15 new state veterans homes with 1,000 new beds. We owe our veterans nothing less.”
The results of the Chillicothe study will be announced in two weeks.
I support Nan Whaley’s position for the Chillicothe VA facility.