Tracy Press backs McNerney on Livermore VA and French Camp clinic

The Tracy Press has joined the list of major newspapers serving residents of the 11th Congressional District in praising Congressman Jerry McNerney's effort to save the Livermore VA from closure and expand its services to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder:

... the Pleasanton Democrat has set himself apart by continuing a crusade to provide the best medical and psychological care for servicemen and -women returning from battle. One aspect is keeping the Livermore Veterans Affairs Medical Center open; it’s proposed to be closed with a new VA medical clinic built in French Camp or Stanislaus County.

[...]

The pastoral setting of the campus in southern Livermore is picture-perfect for medical and psychological treatment for veterans shocked by the horrors of war. It has a 120-bed hospital for long-term care and 30 beds for sub-acute inpatients.

The Press also expresses support for expanding services at the French Camp clinic.

This opportunity for PTSD care should not preclude the VA from maintaining clinical services at its quarter-century-old hospital/clinic in Livermore. Also deserving of similar services is the Central Valley where, because of home prices, more returning soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen are living. It makes sense to expand the French Camp VA clinic that is a neighbor to San Joaquin General Hospital so northern San Joaquin Valley veterans can have comprehensive treatment without driving over the Altamont Pass. This care should include nursing home beds.

Are there enough medical and mental health patients and enough budgetary patience from the government panel considering realignment of VA facilities to have VA hospitals in Livermore and French Camp? There are if Livermore becomes the western mental health center for veterans who return with PTSD and French Camp assumes more of the Livermore VA hospital’s traditional role.

This editorial follows other supportive editorials in the Contra Costa Times, Stockton Record, The Argus, and the San Jose Mercury News.

As support grows for Congressman McNerney's proposals, veterans are watching to see if Secretary James Nicholson will do the right thing. Stay tuned to this blog for the news or read previous posts about Veterans Affairs issues here.