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44 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 14, 2004 VA domiciliary could be spared A Department of Veterans Affairs advisory commission will recommend retention of the Dom’s inpatient and outpatient services By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — Jonathan Lamb likely spoke for a legion of veterans at the former Department of Veterans Affairs domiciliary Friday morning. "I am absolutely delighted," said the Air Force veteran. "I felt we had a fighting chance after that hearing." Lamb was reacting to a VA advisory commission recommendation released Friday that called for the agency to retain both in-patient and outpatient services at the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC). An October hearing in Medford on the proposal to reduce services at the facility known as the Dom drew more than 900 people, who cheered on speakers opposed the proposal. "Right now, I only know the commission has indicated we should continue our mission — people here are quite pleased," said Lamb, 58, a former president of the patient council at the Dom. Advertisement The domiciliary’s fellow vets at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Crater Lake Post 1833 in downtown Medford also were relieved. "We’re real happy — that means they’ll still be able to take care of veterans who need the Dom," said post commander Jim Hanley, 79, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Forces who later retired from the U.S. Air Force. "We didn’t want them to change it out there," he said. "This means there will still be a place for veterans." Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi is expected to make a decision in about 30 days on the recommendations of the VA’s Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission. The VA announced last summer that the facility is one of 30 nationwide under consideration for closure or significant change in services. At the White City facility, the proposal included closing the inpatient domiciliary and compensated work therapy programs and relocating them elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. The former domiciliary currently houses slightly more than 500 inpatients while serving more than 8,000 outpatients. While the SORCC was spared in the recommendation, the commission advises closing VA hospitals in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Mississippi and scaling back most operations at a Texas facility. It rejected the VA’s proposal to close hospitals in N.Y., Kentucky and Livermore, Calif. Congressman Greg Walden, R-Hood River, who has met with Principi to express his opposition to reducing services at the SORCC, is optimistic the secretary’s decision will favor retaining all the VA services at White City. "This recommendation is tremendously good news for the veterans of Southern Oregon, as well as the local economy that depends on the hundreds of jobs provided by the Dom," Walden said. SORCC’s annual budget is about $41 million, with roughly 70 percent of that coming in the form of salaries. Like Lamb, Walden, who represents the 2nd Congressional District, believes public support at the local hearing impressed the commission. Walden had requested that Principi hold the local hearing. "I also reminded the secretary that this facility ranks at the top of quality and customer service care," Walden said. "It accomplishes its mission better than any other VA facility." In a third-quarter survey of the more than 400 VA facilities and community-based clinics across the country last year, SORCC was rated best in the nation in overall quality of care, according to the VA. "My feeling is we’ve scored a touchdown," Walden said. "Now we’re waiting for the extra point ... . This is a victory across the board." U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., also have spoken out against the proposal to change services at the SORCC. The agency decided to overhaul its massive health-care system after the General Accounting Office in 1999 concluded the VA was wasting more than $1 million a day on unused or unneeded facilities. The proposed changes are designed to change the agency’s health-care system to more closely meet the needs of the nation’s population of veterans, officials said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times