RONCEVERTE — Wrapping up a battle waged since 2014, state officials and West Virginia’s congressional delegation opened the Greenbrier VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic here on Monday.
After air-quality issues led to the closure of the old Greenbrier clinic temporarily in 2014 and permanently in 2015, area veterans had to either visit temporary mobile clinics or trek up to Beckley to one of the state’s main VA hospitals.
As Stacy Vasquez, director of the Beckley VA Medical Center, said to the crowd of roughly 150 who came to Monday’s opening, the clinic is a testament to President Abraham Lincoln’s pledge that the United States would take care of its veterans and their families.
“You can see, the veterans are here, this is their community, they want to get their care here in their community with the Department of Veterans Affairs,” she said in an interview after the ceremony. “I’m just so proud to be able to give them the care they really, truly have earned in their lives.”
Vasquez, who also is a veteran, said she’s happy to see the strong showing of community support for veterans.
“For me, this means that veterans don’t have to drive all the way to Beckley to get their care, they will get it right here in their own neighborhood. It belongs to them,” she said.
Speaking after Vasquez, Joseph Williams Jr., who directs the VA network that encompasses the region, said the facility is a tangible symbol of support for veterans.
“It’s more than just a building, it’s more than just a place for access — it’s a legacy,” he said. “It stands to represent the promise that a grateful nation made to the favorite sons and daughters of this country.
Those individuals who raised their right hand and said, ‘I will die. I will die in the name of freedom, democracy, no matter what race, creed or color, no matter where you came from or where you’re going.’ That’s what this represents.”
In between bits of coffee and cake served after the event, several area veterans shared their takes on the new facility.
A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Barry Sharp now works as a coordinator for van drivers, ferrying veterans to and from the health care centers and clinics they require. He said he’s happy to see the new clinic for obvious reasons, but for less thought-of ones, too, like a shaded loading and unloading zone, so disabled veterans don’t get caught in the rain as they come in and out of their transport.
“We needed this,” he said, looking at the new building. “They have the room and facilities in there they didn’t have in the temporary CBOC. The original CBOC wasn’t open very much because of the air quality. [The temporary] one’s been open for a while, but [had] little, teeny rooms. It didn’t have a big waiting area; you could sit maybe eight veterans in there. This is really refreshing.”
Another Navy veteran, Kelly Goddard, who served in Korea and Vietnam, said he’s happy with the new building, but he also commended the VA for the care it provided in the interim.
“I’ll tell you, they did an excellent job in the temporary quarters that they had, but it’s nice to be in here,” he said. “This is a first-class facility. These doctors and nurses and pharmacists that work here make you feel important. These people truly, truly care here. They do a great job. I know people complain about the VA and health care, but I’ve got no problems at all.”
The clinic will provide services ranging from primary care, mental health and beyond. It is located at 228 Shamrock Lane, in Ronceverte, and is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., spoke at the opening.
Jenkins said that, although the job of the government is to ensure quality coverage for the men and women of the armed forces, the government has come up short in the past.
Capito praised the efforts of community and veterans organizers who fought for the new building and preventing a lapse in health care for veterans while it was built.
She said the former CBOC was unacceptable.
“With your help, with your advocacy working with us,” Capito said, “we see today the results of the tremendous efforts, not just from veterans, not just from caregivers, not just from families, not just from policymakers, but from the community at large, that says, ‘We cannot allow this to continue.’ ”
Manchin said that, with the constant stream of gridlock and chaos comfing from Washington, D.C., veterans bring out a voice of reason and get politicians to work together.
“As dysfunctional as we are in Washington today, you all keep us on the straight and narrow path,” he said. “And I mean that. We might have different approaches, but I can tell you one thing, when it comes to veterans, all of us will give you everything we’ve got.”