Tracy Press agrees with McNerney: "Forget politics; vets deserve retreat clinic"
Despite long odds, Congressman Jerry McNerney is committed to doing everything he can to save the Livermore VA hospital from closure:
Livermore’s 115-acre VA Medical Center, with its hospital and nursing home, is almost certain to close because of the federal VA department’s budgeting problems. But McNerney is pushing to keep the center open to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric illnesses faced by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We hope to use it as a residence for veterans that might need some time to adjust to PTSD," McNerney said in a telephone interview Monday.
But Nicholson, who is the subject of a lawsuit brought by disabled veterans and who has submitted his resignation and will leave his post Oct. 1, is not committing himself to the idea.
"We did go meet with Secretary Nicholson, and he seemed interested in our ideas and suggestions, but he didn’t commit to anything," McNerney said. "He seemed genuinely concerned."
Meanwhile, in an editorial, the Tracy Press recognizes that politics might play a role in whether or not the Livermore facility stays open:
If it hasn’t already, Karl Rove-style White House politics is about to bite Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton. The victim might be the Livermore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which the Pleasanton Democrat has campaigned hard to keep open, even if with a different mission.
In an attempt to win back the House for the Republicans in 2008, Rove, the senior adviser to President Bush, has been charting the vulnerabilities of House Democrats. McNerney, a freshman representative who upset seven-term Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, last fall, is No. 2 on the hit list of 36.
Opinion leaders across the political spectrum recognize that the Livermore facility is the perfect location to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The Press argues that no matter what side of the political aisle you stand on, devoting the VA to this unique mission is the right thing to do:
Politics should be removed from the decision of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson or his successor. There are an estimated 320,000 to 800,000 veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who might seek treatment for combat disabilities, about one-third of them with psychological symptoms. For example, of the 229,015 veterans who sought VA care from 2002 through 2006, 83,889 were diagnosed with a mental disorder, including PSTD, drug abuse or depression.
Based on these statistics, Nicholson announced last week that more psychologists and social workers would be added and the number of drop-in treatments clinics expanded from 209 to 232. The Livermore VA facility should be such a drop-in clinic as well as an extended care center for the more severe patients who have served our nation with valor.
To remove partisan politics from this critical veterans issue, we encourage any and all Republican candidates in the 2008 11th House District race to support this new mission for the Livermore VA Medical Center.
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