Hidalgo County Veterans' Affairs Director Emilio de los Santos. (File photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

EDINBURG, Feb. 2 - Rio Grande Valley veterans’ leaders met privately with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst at the Hidalgo County Courthouse on Monday.

Also present were state Sens. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, and Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Hidalgo County Judge Rene Ramirez.

According to Guardian sources, the tone of the meeting was positive and the outcome highly productive. The theme was how to utilize state resources to bring better health care facilities to the Valley for the area’s large veteran population.

“The highlight of meeting was that Dewhurst and the two senators will draft a letter asking VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to meet with them to address the issue of expanding the ambulatory center in Harlingen into a fully-fledged VA Hospital,” said Hidalgo County Veterans’ Affairs Director Emilio de los Santos, who attended the meeting.
 
Veterans Alliance of the Rio Grande Valley Co-Chair Homer Gallegos said the meeting was productive. “We accomplished our goal to motivate our state officials to meet with federal officials to address the VA hospital issue,” Gallegos said.
 
The veterans present informed Dewhurst and the two senators that the current expansion of the Harlingen VA clinic into a “super clinic” presents an opportunity to create a fully-fledged VA hospital. They spelled out their rationale.

Firstly, funding has been approved for the construction of the building. Secondly, funding has been approved to hire medical staff and supporting staff. Thirdly, there is an ongoing effort to recruit medical professional to fill the new positions to be created. Fourthly, the Texas Legislature passed two key bills and an important joint resolution during the last session.

The joint resolution memorializes Congress to construct a Veterans Hospital in South Texas. Proposition 8, which was approved overwhelmingly by the voters of Texas last November, allows the state of Texas for the first time to provide money, land and other resources to construct VA hospitals in the State. A bill creating a medical school for the Valley on the site of the present Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen was also passed. Many observers believe the creation of a medical school boosts the chances of a veterans’ hospital being constructed nearby.
 
“Now, it is the whole state of Texas that is asking for this VA hospital,” said Rey Molano, commander of the Vietnam Veterans of America. “We need our Texas elected officials to take this message to the Veterans Administration and in particular Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. All three officials (Dewhurst, Lucio and Hinojosa) acknowledged the comment and committed themselves to doing so.”
 
Leo Hinojosa, Catholic War Veterans, was also encouraged by the positive tone of the meeting. “These efforts should make it easier for veterans to pass legislation or resolutions towards the creation of a VA hospital in the Valley. The groundwork has already being done. All we need is a final push.”

Before the passage of Proposition 8 on Nov. 3, the building and maintaining of VA hospitals was solely the responsibility of the federal government. Proposition 8 allows the state of Texas to contribute money, property and other resources to establish, maintain and operate veterans’ hospitals.

Veterans groups in the Valley have fought manfully for a VA hospital in their region for decades but the VA has always resisted, claiming that there are insufficient veterans to warrant a dedicated hospital. Instead, the VA is building a “super clinic” in Harlingen that has many of the features of a VA hospital but no inpatient beds.

The VA claims the $40 million ambulatory and outpatient facility will eliminate the need for about 95 percent of the four-hour one-way trips Valley veterans enrolled for VA care currently make to the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in San Antonio. Veterans groups in the Valley dispute that 95 percent of the visits to Audie Murphy will be eliminated.

Proposition 8 was passed by an overwhelming majority of Texas voters on Nov. 3. Across the state, the 74.82 percent of voters said “yes” and 25.17 percent said “no.” In the Rio Grande Valley, where groups like America’s Last Patrol and the Veterans Alliance of the Rio Grande Valley mounted a strong campaign in favor of the constitutional amendment, the majorities were even higher.

In Cameron County, 80.28 percent voted in favor. In Hidalgo County, 80.74 percent voted in favor. In Starr County, 92.97 voted in favor and in Willacy County, 84.66 voted in favor.

As a result of the passage of the Proposition 8, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has met with Veterans Land Board Commissioner Jerry Patterson to see how the state can partner with the federal government to build more veterans’ hospitals in Texas. Top of Cornyn’s list is a VA hospital for the Valley.

Veterans Alliance Co-Chair Treto Garza could not be present at the meeting with Dewhurst. However, he has made it known that the veterans’ efforts should be directed at the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “Now that we have the backing of the state, Secretary Shinseki will have to listen to our concerns. Lt. Gov. Dewhurst or Senators Hinojosa and Lucio will make their presentations. And, if need be, Valley veterans’ groups will send a delegation to Washington to meet with Shinseki,” Garza said.
 
Garza said Cornyn has agreed to help and is ready to do what the veterans ask of him. “Senator Cornyn will be an added voice for the veterans in setting up dialog with Secretary Shinseki,” Garza predicted.

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