VA To Look At Closing Hot Springs Facility

KNBN NewsCenter1 ^ | 01/08/2014 | Kirsten Swanson

[DakotaGator]

The Department of Veteran Affairs announced Tuesday night that the VA Black Hills Health Care System will initiate an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to look at proposed reconfiguration of services at the Hot Springs VA Facility.

Secretary Eric Shinseki met with South Dakota representatives Tuesday to announce that the VA would move forward with plans that could potentially close the Hot Springs VA.

[DakotaGator]

The VA plans it revealed in late 2011 are; to close the Hot Springs VA Medical Center, shift some services to the Fort Meade facility (outside of Sturgis, SD), and Rapid City, and contract out other services. In 5 to 10 years it intends do the same to the Fort Meade, SD facility.

Veterans are concerned that they will no longer receive veterans healthcare but receive ever-dwindling "contract" civilian healthcare with no continuity of care.

[ApplegateRanch]

This is a travesty, but not unexpected. VA was going to do this, come Hell or high water; everything else was a sham and show to try to placate people by appearing to 'soberly deliberate the merits' and 'go through the process'. That did not stop us from participating in fighting the good fight, though; we tried, and others tried even harder to save it.

Save The Va's proposals were very well thought out, and well presented, but reminded me of this:

We live just outside Hot Springs, and the VA hospital was one factor in why we relocated here in the 90s. It was a potential job source if I needed to get back into patient care; instead, they started closing down services one by one.

[defconw]

This stinks. We really like the Hot Springs facility. I guess I don't understand what the problem is. It's a nice facility from what I have seen. The people are great. We live closer to Rapid, but my husband elected to go to Hot Springs. It's serene there, perfect for vets with jangling nerves.

[ApplegateRanch]

Save the VA will be holding an informational town hall meeting on January 27, 2014 at 6:30pm at the Mueller Civic Center in Hot Springs.

[defconw]

Thanks for the information. That is one of my nights to work.