Sgt. Alfredo Gonzales Veterans Nursing Home
By Trteto Garza
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Texas Veterans Land Board Commissioner Jerry Patterson met with local veterans at the request of State Rep. Armando Mando Martinez. The meeting was an informal meeting to allow the Veterans Alliance and other veterans to discuss with Commissioner Patterson the issue of a Veterans hospital in the Rio Grande Valley. About 60 veterans and their supporters attended to listen to both of them.
Patterson told the veterans that veterans needed to focus on two issues.
Accessibility & Quality of health services.
Patterson stated that there should be no need for veterans to travel 250 miles for acute health care. Veterans in the valley should have the same quality and accessibility of health care as veterans in San Antonio Houston Dallas and other areas.
Veterans agreed with this assessment. Patterson was candid honest and to the point with veterans.
He informed them that as
Texas Veterans Land Commissioner that there wasnt much that he could do because the Constitution of the state did not allow him. But that his office would research the issue and see what develops.
He agrees wholeheartedly with the idea of full medical services for veterans in the valley. He said that it would be very hard to find a politician that will vote against veterans especially in Texas.
This he saw as a plus for veterans. But he needed to be careful because he feels that any dollars spend on veterans health care should be the responsibility
of the Federal Government. Its their obligation. But that is not to say that the State of Texas has to remain idly by and not help or assist its veterans.
The new law that was voted on commonly referred to as Proposition 8 was passed and research will be done to see how it can be applied to assist veterans with these type of health problems. He is in charge of three programs and his staff will do research to see if he can possibly help. But that program requires the state to make interest bearing loans to entities that must be paid back.
He used as an example if the VA buys land and/or the state helps in the construction of a facility the VA must pay back on the interest bearing note. In order for the TLB to directly assist veterans it would require legislation to allow it to do so but maybe one of the other programs might help. He is ready to help and stated that he is a veteran (USMC) and that his family has six generations that have participated in the military.
He is one of us. There are other programs and he told veterans that it was up to their Texas legislators to work on seeking funds in the next session. He however warned that everyone is going to be asking for monies in a tight budget session. Monies might not be there.
He caution veterans to be careful and not to be to hung up on the name to be used to identify the medical services to be provided. He stated that at the national level if they hear VA hospital people up there shy away. So veterans should use other words to identify the medical facility. Treto Garza told him that U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar had basically told us the same thing. He said that Cuellar told veterans not to get hung up on semantics.
As long as the medical facility that is being proposed delivers full and comprehensive services that it can be called a Medical Center Surgical Center or whatever. If the facilities provide emergency and inpatient care that that would meet the goals. Tony Cordova added that that is what was being proposed at the VAOPC Harlingen site. That Phase II would probably call for a wing to be added to the present building to
provide these services that are needed. Cordova presented Patterson with a proposed position paper that supports that a full medical center is needed.
The position paper used VA statistics to determine its conclusion. Joe Ibarra told Patterson and Martinez that the Veterans Alliance was trying to keep the issue as non partisan as possible. He also added that a full medical services center is of critical need for the area. Ibarra added that Propostion 8 spoke loudly for support from Texas with a 78 of the vote. That is an overwhelmingly support for veterans. All of them asked Patterson for his continued support.
Gallegos thanked the Commissioner for taking time from his busy schedule to meet with them. Patterson praised Rep. Martinez for his work for veterans and for organizing the meeting. His last words were that he will be around and is ready to provide any assistance to veterans on the issue. He told Treto that all he had to do was email him directly on his Blackberry. The veterans closed with a rousing applause.
After the meeting Gallegos stated that veterans will be getting back with him. We still have a battle ahead of us and we need as many friends as possible.
Commissioner Patterson will be meeting with the local RGV state delegatio before the start of the new session. He will also visit with the Congressional delegation on the subject.
