VA Medical Center enjoys bipartisan support
The following editorial appeared Monday in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.
Will partisan politics play a role in whether the Jonathan M. Wainwright VA Medical Center remains in Walla Walla as a full-service hospital?
Absolutely. Let’s face it, the facility’s future will be decided by political appointees. And the funding for the VA and all of its hospitals is approved by Congress, the ultimate political body.
If the Walla Walla hospital is to get a fair shake, it is critical that those who have political influence step forward and use it. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Colville, has done just that.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson last week accepted McMorris’ invitation to tour the Walla Walla hospital.
Previously, a similar invitation had been extended by the Walla Walla City Council. But when a member of Congress — particularly when that member is of the same political party as the president — makes a request, it’s less likely to be ignored. …
A tour of the facility and an opportunity to meet local VA employees and patients will change the way Nicholson and other VA officials look at the Wainwright Medical Center.
When faces are linked to the life-changing decisions such as the closing of a VA hospital, it forces those making the call to give more thought to the matter. It’s human nature.
It will be important for veterans, local officials and residents to demonstrate solidarity on the issue at meetings. It is also vital those meetings remain civil. When people are shouted at and feel threatened they tend to quit listening. That, too, is human nature.
Given that politics plays such a critical role in the VA decision, the local effort to ensure the hospital gets an honest assessment is boosted by the fact that powerful Democrats have used their influence too.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, has been like a pit bull in her tenacity on this issue. Murray took action that caused the VA to reconsider plans to shut down the hospital and study the matter. Murray obtained the federal grant that funded the local study.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Seattle, has also taken a keen interest in the Walla Walla facility as have Oregon’s two U.S. senators, Gordon Smith, R-Pendleton, and Ron Wyden, D-Portland. McMorris’ predecessor, George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, also used his political muscle last year to get the Bush administration’s attention.
This strong bipartisan support is no guarantee the VA hospital will remain open in Walla Walla, but it does ensure proper consideration will be given to this important decision.