7/30/2019 Remember the Promise Deliver Valley Va Hospital

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Placido Salazar

psalazar9@satx.rr.com

REMEMBER THE PROMISE?

"DELIVER VALLEY VA HOSPITAL"

President Barack Obama, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Texas’ U.S. Legislators: approval this week by the Texas legislature tocreate a four-year medical school in the Rio Grande Valley,

 should leave no excuse to further delay delivering a full-service24/7 VA hospital in the Deep South Texas Rio Grande Valley.

One of the excuses we heard before was that “not enough doctorsand other medical personnel would be attracted to The Valley, tofully staff a VA hospital. At Audie Murphy VA Hospital in SanAntonio, for years, we have been diagnosed by University of Texas Medical School students/Interns, then referred to indicatedspecialists. Well, now – that can also be done in The Valley, once

the Rio Grande Valley Medical School is up and running.

Mr. President, WE have not forgotten. The time has come todeliver the “full service 24/7 VA Hospital for our more than120,000 Rio Grande Valley Veterans who bravely served ourcountry, so now our country owes them, so they will no longerhave to travel more than 500 miles, ten-plus hours on the road toAudie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio……” you promised whenreaching-out for our Veterans’ vote. 

Yes, it would take a years for medical students/Interns to be ableto see Veteran-Patients, so if construction of the full-servicehospital you promised started now, the time-frame should match-up – and your thus far unfulfilled promise, would be delivered.Construction of a new VA

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Hospital would immediately jump-start the stagnant economy of The Rio Grande Valley, with hundreds if not thousands of jobsand new peripheral businesses. The Valley is said to be themost-economically-disadvantaged region in the country, so why

not change that now?

It seems that quite a few of our Mexican-AmericanPatriots/Heroes “who bravely served our country” have sufferedtremendously before their too-early death, as their families alsohelplessly suffered in desperation – watching their loved-onewaste away, unable to physically travel to Audie Murphy VAHospital in San Antonio.

WHERE is the appreciation and the compassion which “a gratefulcountry” should feel for those who sacrificed our youth and ourhealth, establishing a Democracy and freedom for othercountries; then returning to our own country, and being deprivedof that same “Democracy?”  

Another excuse we heard was that “The Valley does not haveenough Veterans (we have more than 120,000 and growing withthe wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down)…. but, that

excuse does not fly when the following is considered:…..“Las Vegas Medical Center - Aug 3, 2012 – The $600

million facility will provide health services for thousands of veterans in Southern Nevada, providing assistance to 45,000 

Veterans…. (remember, we have more th an 120,000 - and 

rapid ly grow ing - Veteran pop ulat ion ) ”Or the new hospital in Orlando with almost 300 beds, which is

only 70 miles from two other VA hospitals, “expected to serve

113,000 veterans with 134 inpatient beds, a new outpatientclinic, a 120-bed assisted living center and a 60-bed long-term

care section.” 

Or what about the new VA hospital in Denver and “Texas to

get new VA Hospital - In a recent press release from the VA, a

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$224M contract was awarded to build a state of the art VA facility in Austin, Texas….. exciting and much anticipatednews for veterans living in and near Austin” ( which is only 60miles away from Audie Murphy, compared to more than

250 miles for most Rio Grande Valley Veterans). 

Is it simply because our skin is a bit darker than thethousands of Veterans in Las Vegas, Florida, Denver, orAustin, as was pointed out by an Anglo Veteran fromKansas, in a meeting with Tim Shea, former South TexasVA Medical Director ?

It seems like most of the excuses we have heard, reallydon’t hold much water…. so, how about delivering on thepromise of a new VA hospital, which we have heard forseveral decades, from Democrat and Republicancandidates alike, when reaching-out for our U.S. Veterans’vote???

Placido Salazar, USAF Retired Vietnam Veteran (PROUDLY  Born and raised in The Rio Grande Valley)Dr. Hector P. Garcia American GI Forum Org. Inc (210)422-0378