(Westfield, 3/15/2022)
Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield), the Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, today released the following statement on the report released by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs that recommends the closure of the Leeds VA Medical Center in Northampton:
“This recommendation is a slap in the face to the more than 24,000 Veterans who receive treatment at the Northampton VA and who have served our nation at the highest levels. I have profound concerns with this proposal and the impact it would have on Veterans in our region.
Telling Veterans that they can drive an hour more to the Connecticut VA is simply unacceptable and just like the US Government Accountability Office, I do not believe that our already overstrained community providers have the bandwidth to make up these services, especially the critical behavioral health services provided at Northampton.
Transportation is already a challenge for our Veterans, and it is unconscionable that we would consider pushing them further away from the medical care that they so desperately depend on.
As Chair of the Veterans’ and Federal Affairs Committee, I intend to call a public hearing on this proposal if it continues to move forward and will do everything in my power to prevent this closure.”
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