The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had a welcome surprise for Walla Walla last week, announcing it will build a $6.7 million residential mental health facility there.

Considering that the federal government almost shut down Walla Walla’s Wainwright VA Medical Center not long ago, the pending enhancement is worth cheering. This region already has a substantial ex-military population, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are adding to it with a stream of returning veterans, many suffering from emotional disorders and traumatic brain injuries. The VA has been scolded over the inadequacy of its resources to meet their special needs.

The new facility in Walla Walla will help, as have steps already taken in Spokane to increase training and improve screening processes. Coeur d’Alene has also been designated for hiring of more behavioral health personnel and a new facility.

The VA region centered in Spokane includes Eastern Washington, North Idaho and part of Western Montana. The greater the opportunity for patients from throughout that large area to receive treatment near their homes, the better the demands will be distributed among all facilities, including the VA Medical Center in Spokane.

Indeed, VA leaders in the region boast that the months-long waiting lists that once discouraged local veterans from seeking treatment at the Spokane medical center have been eliminated. Extensive use of community outreach clinics is given part of the credit.

Part of the credit also goes to Sharon Helman, whose recent stint as interim director of the Spokane center won applause not only from veterans but also from Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, both of whom have shown an interest in the VA challenges here. But Helman has returned to her full-time position in Walla Walla, turning the Spokane reins over to yet another interim director.

Therein lies a problem. The last permanent director at the Spokane center, Joe Manley, retired 13 months ago, and efforts to find a permanent replacement have stalled. Two rounds of applications produced no candidates who were deemed a good match with the management philosophy needed here.

Among other things, that would include an emphasis on preventive care, cooperative affiliations with local hospitals as well as the University of Washington Medical School, use of community clinics and technology to give more veterans access to care as close as possible to where they live.

The wait may not last much longer. Dennis M. Lewis, VA’s assistant deputy undersecretary who is heading the selection process, says the latest group of applicants is promising, and he expects the next interim director to be known in about a month.

Probably no one wants that to be so more than the patients and the beleaguered staff of the Spokane medical center, who deserve the continuity and stability that require permanent leadership. The vacancy can’t be allowed to go unfilled any longer, but if Lewis, who picked Helman, can come up with a new director to match her brief but accomplished example, it will be promising for Spokane and the region’s veterans.