The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
VA clinic celebrates veterans
Campus adorned with patriotic decorations
The Lorain VA Outpatient Clinic and local officials invited veterans and their guests June 28 to the annual Veterans Appreciation Event.
The clinic’s campus, 5255 N. Abbe Road in Sheffield Village, was festooned with red, white and blue decorations in a preview of the patriotic displays that will come in the next week as the community ramps up to Independence Day.
Tables clustered beneath canopies played home to the nearly 40 vets who attended the opening of the three-hour event as they snacked on sandwiches, pop and chips.
Another table, manned with VA personnel, featured stacks of material on benefits and the opportunity for each vet to sign up for a free raffle.
Kim Robertson, director of Northeast Ohio VA community outpatient services, addressed the assembled and touted the five-star rating the region’s VA hospitals have received.
“That means we’re one
of the best VAs, and I think the best, in the country,” Robertson said.
She thanked the leadership and staff, as well as the patients for their efforts to make veteran care and the country better.
Sheffield Village Mayor John D. Hunter also addressed the crowd after mingling with them and shaking each veteran’s hand and thanking them for their service.
“I’d like to thank all
the veterans,” Hunter said opening his remarks. “All the men and women who’ve given their time and their lives and their families to the service of our country, you are the elite. You are the reason why we can
stand here today in freedom.”
Hunter also applauded the clinic’s staff saying the village is lucky to have them there to serve “those that deserve it most.”
He said he visits the clinic “just about weekly” to see what the village can do to help the facility.
“We don’t want to be just average,” the mayor said. “We want to provide the best service to every veteran that is here.”
Hunter said that in the time the facility has been in the village, more than 1,000 more vets have utilized the clinic than in its previous location in the city of Lorain.
“There are 26,000 veterans in Lorain County,” he said. “I want every one of those veterans to have an opportunity to get the service that they deserve.”
The clinic’s campus, 5255 N. Abbe Road in Sheffield Village, was festooned with red, white and blue decorations in a preview of the patriotic displays that will come in the next week as the community ramps up to Independence Day.