Possible VA Clinic in Brunswick County

Area veterans may have a new place to get medical care. Top Veterans Affairs officials met today to discuss a potential plan.

Brunswick Community Hospital is moving down the street so they can expand, freeing up the building. If local veterans get what they want, it’s going to be their new place to get medical treatment.”

“At the VA, we are committed to fulfilling the nation’s promise to take care of those who have sacrificed everything for us,” says Bill Schoenhard of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But some of our local vets don’t feel like that promise has been fulfilled.

“We need something closer than Fayetteville. It’s 100 miles away,” says Vietnam Veteran Don Brgstrom. Many vets are not physically capable of making the lengthy trip.

So last December, the VA took steps to tend to the 31,000 veterans in New Hanover and Brunswick counties. They signed a contract with the Wilmington International Airport to build a new outpatient super-clinic on their land, a $95 million done deal. But now that Brunswick Community Hospital will soon be vacant, VA officials have the option of turning the hospital into a VA medical clinic.

The county is basically willing to give the building away to the VA, but renovating it would cost millions.

In front of a packed house of veterans, VA officials met with Congressman Mike McIntyre Wednesday to discuss their options.

“The contiguous services that are necessary to operate an efficient outpatient, multi-specialty clinic are very difficult to do in a 33-year old facility, even after renovation,” says Vision Six Network Director Dan Hoffmann.

Area veterans just want the medical care they’re promised. “I’m not going to sit idly by and watch my veterans, the people that served before me and after me do not get the quality of care that they deserve for risking their lives to ensure your freedoms,” says Veteran Laura Britton.

Now top VA officials have to decide whether the 33-year old building is worth renovating and in the next couple of months, they should have a better idea as to whether this will be a possibility for local vets.

If Brunswick Community Hospital does not become a VA clinic, Brunswick County Commissioner Bill Sue says the building will likely be used as a health facility for another organization.