ROME, Georgia,
Oct 26 -
U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey today hailed the announcement that a VA Outreach Clinic will be constructed in Rome. Joining Gingrey were U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, and Georgia Veteran Affairs Commissioner Pete Wheeler.
“Today is a tremendous victory for every veteran in Northwest Georgia,” said U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey. “For years, we have been fighting to get our veterans the care they need, close to home. And no matter how many times the VA told us ‘no,’ the people of this community stood together and kept fighting on. When our veterans signed more than 2,200 petitions for a clinic, I took them to Washington as proof of our need and the strength of our numbers. When hundreds of veterans attended the VA Day in Rome, we again showed Washington our commitment to getting a clinic. Our hard work has paid off, and our veterans will finally get the care they need and deserve. This is one of the most gratifying accomplishments I’ve helped achieve since coming to Congress, and as a physician, I know we have now done right by our veterans.”
"I want to congratulate Congressman Phil Gingrey on his efforts to obtain this veterans outpatient treatment center for the many veterans of Rome and northwest Georgia. Many veterans will live longer, healthier lives as a result of it,” said Georgia VA Commissioner Pete Wheeler.
The need for a VA clinic in Northwest Georgia is critical, as veterans currently must travel to the overloaded Smyrna or Atlanta facilities to receive care – a trip that can take hours with the Atlanta-area traffic. An Outreach Clinic in Rome will help the VA achieve its goal of having convenient, accessible care available to veterans in their own communities.
Non-stop commitment to bringing a clinic to Northwest Georgia
In January of 2005, Congressman Gingrey met with area veteran leaders and post commanders to discuss the urgent need for a clinic. Hartwell Nolan and other leaders began bringing petitions for a clinic to Gingrey’s office – more than 2,200 to date. Gingrey delivered these petitions to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Jim Nicholson, and asked Nicholson to recount the number of veterans in Northwest Georgia. In the mean time, Gingrey and the local community raised funds to purchase a DAV van to transport veterans to Smyrna, Atlanta and other regional VA clinics. After more than 600 veterans attended a VA Day in Rome, Gingrey met with Georgia VA Commissioner Pete Wheeler to discuss the pressing need for a clinic.
Together with Senator Johnny Isakson, who serves on the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs, and with the support of Senator Saxby Chambliss, Gingrey and Wheeler arranged a second meeting with Secretary Nicholson. The delegation again detailed the urgent need for a clinic, presenting Nicholson with the latest enrollment data from the Rome VA Day, and emphasized the growing number of 48th Brigade veterans returning to Northwest Georgia from Iraq. This meeting resulted in today’s announcement that Rome will receive a clinic.
“This is outstanding news that northwest Georgia will receive a VA clinic,” said U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. “This area of Georgia has been underserved for sometime now, and I am optimistic that this clinic will deliver to our veterans in northwest Georgia the level of VA care they deserve.”
"Our nation's veterans have sacrificed so much on our behalf, and its only right that we make sure they have access to health care facilities that best meet their needs. The addition of a new VA facility in Rome will help serve this purpose and ensure that our veterans in Northwest Georgia receive the prompt and high quality care they deserve," said U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss.
