By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Wednesday April 20 Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez visited Raton and attended a gathering at the Historic Shuler Theater where she listened to several people who expressed not just their disgust with the VA but also expressed support for keeping the Raton VA Clinic open.
With the help of several local veterans and politicians the Raton VA Clinic was opend about eight years ago to serve veterans in the area. Today the Raton VA Clinic along with so many others across the country are being considered for closure. LT Colonel Gilbert San Roman spoke first and ended his comments saying this simply can’t happen. Leger Fernandez also echoed those sentiments in her comments noting that the process started in 2018 with the VA looking at facilities to make cutbacks.
Many veterans commented that the VA doesn’t need to cut services but expand them and make the VA a more user friendly and efficient operation. Many of the veterans who spoke complained that the distances travelled for services to the big cities was a major burden especially for such things as simple blood work.
At this point the process for closing the facility is a long way from happening according to Leger Fernandez. She has vowed to work at every step of the process to keep all of the community-based outpatient clinics in the state open. She noted that the numbers that the local facilities have are the ones the survey needs to look at. She went on to note that a committee that hasn’t even been created will have to look at the results of the surveys and reports to decide which facilities will be closed. Then that report will have to go before congress for approval before it finally goes to the president for his final signature.
So, will the VA Clinic in Raton close in the near future? Probably not but the bigger issue that will likely affect the Raton VA Clinic more will be staffing. An issue that also affects the entire VA System.
It was echoed by local politicians at the end of the gathering to call, write and passionately make your voice heard in Washington.
