Matt Jacobson for Governor | Where Is the Concern for Our Veterans?

Where Is the Concern for Our Veterans?

Date: February 5, 2010
Author: Matt Jacobson

Where’s the Concern for Our Veterans?

By Matt JacobsonFriday, February 5, 2010 2:13 PM ESTAs a country, we owe our veterans more than we can repay. To those who gave, as Lincoln said, “that last full measure of devotion,” we honor their memory in many ways. For those who served and came home requiring medical care, we owe them that care.

With this in mind, I found it interesting that 2nd District Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, was recently quoted saying that “Local veterans deserve local care this year.”

It seems that Rep. Michaud has been using his position on the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health to spur the VA into creating a veterans clinic in southern Maine. The solution Michaud announced involves leasing space until a new facility can be built in Lewiston. The new facility, approved in the current budget, will be finished in late 2011.

At first glance, this seems like a reasonable solution, and not terribly remarkable; a congressman announces funding for a veterans clinic and appears to be concerned for veterans’ medical care. But I decided to look into the situation anyway. What I found sickens me.There is a clinic on Naval Air Station Brunswick that has been serving the active-duty and retired-veteran community since 1976. This facility is fully functional and well equipped. Shortly after the base closure closure was announced, Gov. John Baldacci announced that Southern Maine Community College would be given the clinic building and the equipment. The clinic closes at the end of March and will sit idle until SMCC moves in sometime in 2011.

Almost 14 percent of Maine’s population are military veterans. A significant part of that population earned care at VA facilities. Even though BNAS is closing, there will still be about 1,000 active-duty sailors and soldiers stationed in Maine — and more will be here temporarily when Bath Iron Works puts ships through the commissioning process.

With the closing of the base, the military will need to find alternative medical care for these men and women.

We have a requirement to provide medical care to veterans and active-duty personnel. Why didn’t we keep the clinic open and create a joint use facility for VA and active-duty care? The building exists, is well equipped, and by all accounts would be perfect for this purpose.

Instead, our elected officials have come up with a solution that puts our veterans in a yet-to-be-constructed temporary facility until a new building can be built. Meanwhile, local veterans who need care, either travel to Togus, or go without their benefits.

For some of these men and women, purchasing their prescriptions at a civilian pharmacy can cost hundreds of dollars per month. As far as the active-duty men and women still in Maine, no solution has yet been found.

Our elected leaders have failed Maine’s veterans. What’s worse, they have found a way to spend more money to accomplish the failure. Where was the concern for the veterans and the care we owe them? Why did we come up with a more expensive solution that requires our veterans to receive their care in leased temporary space that doesn’t yet exist, until a new building can be constructed? Why does our congressman take bows for taking care of veterans when the solution he’s taken credit for is expensive and suboptimal?

Why did the governor allow the clinic on the base be given away to a community college when our veterans and active-duty soldiers, sailors and airmen have medical needs? If this is any indication of the base redevelopment effort, we are in for a long winter.

Our veterans deserve leaders who will honor our commitment to their service and sacrifice. In this case our governor and congressman not only failed our servicemen and servicewomen, they have failed all of us.

It is time to do better.

Matt Jacobson is the president and chief executive officer of Maine & Co., the only organization dedicated exclusively to business attraction and job creation in Maine. Jacobson is also a Republican candidate for governor.

Where Is the Concern for Our Veterans?

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