Brown, Wenstrup advocate for Chillicothe VA in Washington

WASHINGTON D.C.— Senator Sherrod Brown and U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup are working to avoid the closure of the Chillicothe Veterans' Affairs Medical Center — both trying to communicate the importance of the facility to the area.

Brown (D-Ohio) attended a VA hearing in Washington D.C. last week to share his thoughts on the CVAMC workforce. He expressed concerns about VA nurses and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) making less per hour than those working at other local hospitals, which is worsened by the current labor shortage.

“On Friday, I was in Chillicothe visiting the Medical Center and the leadership team raised the nursing shortage with me. They need to find and hire more nurses, LPNs especially,” said Brown. “We know there’s a national shortage of nurses right now, and because of the tight labor market I hope VA is doing everything it can to review local pay scales to address any discrepancies between VA and community facilities to adjust VA workers’ pay and retain them.”

He said that LPNs working at the CVAMC make about six dollars an hour less than one working at a different hospital in the same city.

He asked how often the VA conducts local pay surveys and how the VA addresses pay scale discrepancies. Jessica Bonjorni, Chief of the Veterans Health Administration’s Human Capital Management, said "we'd be happy to take a look at that facility, in particular, to see if there's a challenge there... We will take a closer look at Chillicothe."

Brown discussed how the VA is assisting its medical professionals who are suffering from trauma and burnout throughout the pandemic.

Possible VA closure

Almost 20 VA medical centers have been recommended for closure by the AIR Commission across the United States. With concerns about the recommendation to close the CVAMC, Brown said that rural communities, like Southern Ohio, would be more likely to lose healthcare under the AIR recommendations.

"Keep that in mind, saying that there will be a place for you later is not always satisfactory to every potential employee," Brown said. Bonjorni said the VA is looking to retain all of its employees.

“We are exploring a variety of potential asks that we may have – that we may need some flexibility to help keep people if they need to perhaps locate to another facility if their facility is closing," Bonjorni said.

Brown is the longest-serving Ohioan on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Congressman Wenstrup visits Chillicothe veterans

Wenstrup (R-Ohio 2nd District) attended a roundtable discussion last week in Chillicothe about the possible closure of the CVAMC and to hear stories from veterans about the impact the potential closure would have on their healthcare.

Congressman Wenstrup sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough last week expressing concerns about the possible CVAMC closure and outlining the importance of the medical center.

The Ohio native is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He said he was initially proud of his work on the VA MISSION Act. However, he said he believes the recommendation to close the Chillicothe VA "runs counter to this goal and would have an adverse impact on the ability of veterans in Southern Ohio to receive the care they need and deserve."

"I remain unconvinced that VA's recommended course of action, including closing the Chillicothe VAMC, meets the criteria established by VA as required in Section 203 of the MISSION Act," Wenstrup said.

Section 203 requires the VA to develop criteria to be used by the Secretary to make recommendations for the realignment or modernization of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities.

"I do not believe that closing the Chillicothe VAMC and attempting to replace its services by establishing a multi-specialty community-based outpatient clinic (MS-CBOC) in Chillicothe, a standalone community living center (CLC) in Circlevliew, and a strategic partnership with the Dayton VAMC to accept CLC and residential rehabilitation treatment program (RRTP) patients 'maintains or improves veteran access care,'" Wenstrup said.

He said that while Chillicothe does have low demand for inpatient medical services, the facility still has a high demand for mental health care, CLC and RRTP services. He also said that the recommendations do not consider the effect on veterans that would have to travel to Dayton for healthcare.

"As the Asset and Infrastructure Review process moves forward, I encourage VA to think creatively about the ways that the Chillictone facility can meet VA's goals to modernize and serve veterans in Southern Ohio more effectively," Wenstrup said. "I hope that.. you will work with the AIR Commission and in your role as Secretary to ensure the veterans in Southern Ohio retain access to the first-class care they have earned and deserve."

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Brown, Wenstrup advocate for Chillicothe VA in Washington