V.A. looks ahead
Local veterans are waiting for the other shoe to fall. Last week Rep. Sue Myrick announced the Department of Veterans Affairs would build a major new health care center in Charlotte by 2013 ó a facility bigger than five football fields, according to one report. The new center will offer primary care, mental health and specialty care services ó services many veterans have driven to Salisbury to get at the Hefner V.A. Medical Center. Others go to Asheville. The Salisbury V.A. is expected to see a record 70,000 patients this fiscal year. New centers planned in Charlotte and Winston-Salem should relieve pressure on Salisbury ó not replace it.