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Signs of improvement seen during SORCC tour Phil Roe, House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, and Congressman Greg Walden tour the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics in White City Saturday. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Saturday Oct 14, 2017 at 6:21 PM Oct 14, 2017 at 6:28 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat A just-built residential facility at the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics and newly redesigned outpatient programs were touted to U.S. Rep Greg Walden and the head of the House Veterans Committee. More than a year after the Department of Veterans Affairs rated the White City facility one star, new construction and restructured programs for homeless veterans were shown to the Republican congressman and Dr. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee. The tour Saturday showcased a residential facility that for 10 days has been housing 30 homeless veterans. The program has the capacity to aid 50 veterans, according to SORCC Nurse Executive Sue Thurston, who said patients are still being integrated into the new building. Roe, a Vietnam veteran, was visibly impressed after checking out a bright, clean TV room inside the new building, complete with a wall-mounted 21-inch flatscreen. "This is a very nice place," Roe said, adding later that the new construction shows that a veteran is still valued after his or her service. "We care for you; we appreciate your service, and we honor your service," Roe said. Thurston said the larger change, beyond new construction and filling staff vacancies, is creating a "University Model" in programming for mental health and addiction programs at the facility. The new structure is more selective, and once inside the inpatient programs have "very little downtime," Thurston said. A veteran can surround himself with care teams including nurses, mental health practitioners and chaplains, she said. "You've got a whole team to get you to sobriety," Thurston said. Walden and Roe also spoke with Amanda Doemland, a licensed clinical social worker who for the past year has been the facility's outpatient Homeless Program Manager. Among challenges she touched on was finding housing, such as one-bedroom apartments, for individual veterans once they've transitioned out of the program. "Those are very much harder to find," Doemland said, adding that because of the limited supply landlords can pick and choose tenants who might not be overcoming the same problems as the veterans. Doemland earned a round of applause when she announced she intends to stay at the facility long-term. She said her priority at the facility is create a welcoming environment for veterans apprehensive to treatment. "I'm very impressed that he took time to be here with us," Doemland said of Roe's visit. Walden said nearly half of the complaints he receives in a given year are related to veterans' healthcare, so it's a priority he takes seriously. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.