Tierney: Bedford VA clinic to stay open

LYNN – As federal hospitals and clinics for military veterans face closure or consolidation across the country, those who rely on the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford can rest easy.U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat, said Tuesday the Department of Veterans Affairs informed his office this week that the Bedford hospital, which is directly linked to the veterans’ outpatient clinic in Lynn, will be preserved.Michael Sweeney, the Lynn veterans agent at City Hall, described the decision as a big victory for every veteran in the area.According to Sweeney, the decision to preserve the Bedford hospital was preceded by years of infighting and discussion. “This directly affects us because the Lynn Community-based Outpatient Clinic is a satellite of Bedford,” he said.More than 2,000 veterans have medical cases on file at the Lynn clinic and many take advantage of the services in Bedford. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the start of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, approximately 250 soldiers – men and women – have served abroad and returned home to Lynn.”Not everybody who comes back goes to the clinic, but it’s there should they need it, and the connection to Bedford means they can get help from the 24-hour walk-in mental health clinic at the hospital,” said Sweeney, noting that his office recently received a phone call from family of a young soldier who was distraught over the suicide of a friend with whom he served in Iraq.”We’re not mental health professionals here in Lynn, but we were able to refer the young man to Bedford where he got help,” Sweeney said. “We have a lot of young veterans in the city who might need assistance. It’s one thing to keep the building open, but keeping these mental health services available in Bedford is what saves lives.”Sweeney said government bureaucracy is often so daunting that some veterans shy away from seeking needed services. “When a soldier comes home to the Lynn area with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or combat stress, Bedford is the best place for them to get help,” he said.The Bedford hospital also provides services to geriatrics and those suffering from substance abuse.”If Bedford closed, those veterans would have to go to Brockton, which isn’t exactly convenient,” Sweeney said. “At that point, it becomes a quality-of-life issue.”Tierney attended most of the meetings that led to the preservation of the Bedford hospital, said Sweeney, adding, “We can’t thank him enough for that. He has been there from the start.”According to Tierney, the VA had no evidence to support consolidation of services or co-location of facilities. “The VA has finally agreed with us and arrived at the same conclusion,” he said.”This is great news,” said Tierney, noting the process of keeping the facility open took nearly five years, four public Local Advisory Panel (LAP) meetings, a success of three Veterans’ Administration (VA) secretaries, and countless behind-the-scenes meetings, phone calls and letters. “The VA finally got it right.”