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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend January 13, 2007 Iraq War vets get their due SORCC expansion includes 64-bed building to help those returning from war By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — A spade of frozen dirt dug up Friday may ultimately represent the first step in helping some American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ground-breaking ceremony at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC) was for a 64-bed residential care building, the first step in a three-phase project to expand and update the facility. "Our challenge is not only to provide for veterans of the past but also tailor ourselves to provide new, unique services for (veterans of) the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq," said a shovel-wielding Max McIntosh, the facility director. The general contractor for the 20,000-square-foot building, which will cost $5.8 million is Koo Construction of Sacramento, according to SORCC officials. Under the terms of the contract, the building must be completed by Jan. 7, 2008. The firm has already removed two World War II-era hospital buildings as part of the contract. When the entire project is completed in roughly three years, the SORCC will be a 600-bed facility. Work includes demolishing two more old military hospital buildings and erecting new, efficient residential care buildings, McIntosh said. Advertisement The SORCC now has 500 "actual" beds, although it could house up to 755 patients in a crisis by establishing temporary quarters in buildings now being employed for other uses, officials said. A seismic study of some of the old buildings had determined they were not strong enough to withstand most earthquakes. They were also deemed inefficient, with the cost of upgrading them too high. The building is the newest construction at the former domiciliary since a 30-bed infirmary was built in 1995. The construction is part of a project announced by Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson while visiting the facility last summer. It is the result of a four-year review by the VA, McIntosh observed, noting that five years ago the agency considered closing the facility. He was among several speakers who cited the efforts of veterans, community members, volunteers, local staff and others, including U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican from Hood River, who stepped forward to ask the agency to retain the facility. At one point, more than 900 people who supported keeping the facility attended a meeting in Medford to meet with VA officials. "This building and this process is really a tribute to the tenacious and creative nature of the SORCC's staff and support of the community and the adaptability of the VA bureaucracy to hearing what locally makes a lot of sense to do," said A.J. Allen, representing the VA regional office in Vancouver, Wash. She was part of a VA review team that had recommended the facility continue its mission. "The VA has come to understand the SORCC provides a unique and crucial safety net for our nation's veterans," said Dr. Andy Mebane, SORCC chief of staff. "We admit veterans for rehabilitation who have failed all lower levels of care and for whom scant personal and professional hope remains," he added. "We discharge and return to communities veterans living independently, living with purpose and instilled with meaning and hope." Meanwhile, officials report the patient load is increasing. There are now about 400 resident patients with about 12,000 outpatients. The facility occupied by the SORCC was once the Army's Camp White, which was built in the early days of World War II. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com