Easley christens new facility for vets

Gov. Mike Easley told a crowd at the Hefner VA Medical Center Thursday that the opening of a nursing home for veterans is the state's way of giving back.

"This is a measure of who we are, that we stand up for those who've stood up for us," Easley said, speaking to a gathering that included a large contingent of veterans. "May our brave veterans find a comfortable home in this facility."

Easley visited the medical center on Brenner Avenue in Salisbury Thursday to dedicate the new N.C. Veterans Nursing Home.

The 99-bed facility is located toward the rear of the huge VA campus, in Building 10 that was in years past used to treat veterans battling substance abuse problems.

Elree T. Smith, state commander of the N.C. Veterans of Foreign Wars, attended Thursday's ceremony and said he was glad to see the state and federal governments opening more nursing homes for veterans and their spouses.

"North Carolina has been under-served with nursing homes for veterans," he said. "The VA takes care of your health, but after that, they expect you to go home. When it comes to long-term care, that's the one thing they don't have."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made many improvements to the facility in the past two years, then donated the building to the state, which continued renovations and additions.

When the nursing home opens in July, it'll be the property of the N.C. Department of Administration.

The nursing home will be the second in the state serving solely veterans and their spouses. The first such facility operates in Fayetteville.

Easley and other state leaders who gathered at the Hefner VA Thursday said plans are to open two more such nursing homes in the near future.

The nursing home opening in Building 10 is already filled to capacity.

"So many of you here today were so brave so many years ago, and God bless you for doing so," Easley told the crowd, gathered outside on a spring morning so beautiful it seemed to have been heaven-sent.

Easley said about one in eight North Carolinians are veterans, many in dire need of nursing-home care as they age.

He said the nursing home opening on the VA campus stands for such characteristics as honesty, courage and integrity.

"And that's truly what our veterans represent," Easley noted.

Daniel Hoffmann, director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, also spoke during Thursday's dedication. He reminded guests of the debt owed veterans.

"Let us never forget that we are here for them, just as they were here for us," Hoffmann said. "We owe them nothing less."

Chaplain Reginald H. Massey, chief of Chaplain Services for the VA, said much the same in his opening invocation, reminding guests that the nursing home was intended "for those who once gave to us and now need our care."

Wayne Peedin, assistant director of the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs, said the state invested little money in the nursing home, financing the work primarily through federal grant money.

David Harless, supervisory engineer for the VA, said the VA invested about $4 million in the project before donating the facility to the state.

"It was totally gutted, totally renovated," Harless said.

Pamela Howell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said the VA's decision to donate the building to the state is part of a new trend in healthcare.

"With the shift to out-patient care, we don't have the need for some buildings that we previously used," she said.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4253 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.