Veterans in Lewis County, especially those far away from the Interstate 5 corridor, suffered from the closure of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic operations at the Lewis County Mall in Chehalis.
After it shut down, the nearest clinic with such services was in Olympia.
For months at the Tall Timber Restaurant and Lounge in Randle, veterans have been meeting with county commissioner Lee Grose and other representatives from the offices of their elected officials to see what can be done.
Representatives from the VA Puget Sound originally promised to open more Mobile Medical Units in Lewis County after the closure. That deal was never held up, causing both U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, to send letters of frustration earlier this year.
Murray’s office announced on Monday that staff had been working with the VA Puget Sound and the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis and had reached the decision that a Mobile Medical Unit would be opened there on Wednesday, Aug. 3.
Details about the hours of operation for the unit are still to be announced.
“If you hear of feedback or know of a constituent that will use or used the services it will be helpful for us to relay those comments to the VA. We want to do everything we can for our veterans and their families, and we hope this is a good starting point as we continue to advocate for more resources for Lewis County,” said Christine Nhan, a director in Murray’s South Sound office in an email to Lewis County Commissioners on Monday morning.
