Around Town: PCC could be on verge of missing great opportunity
The Pasadena City College Board of Trustees is about to miss a golden opportunity.
PCC has the chance to host a Veterans Administration Ambulatory Care Center on its campus. (See “When will local VA clinic be built?” Around Town, Dec. 31.) The project appears to be stalled. For once, the delay is not the fault of the VA.
The delay cannot be blamed on Washington, D.C. To the contrary, Rep. Judy Chu, who represents residents living in the 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena, came through and lined up the project. The delay cannot be blamed on voter apathy. There are dozens of local groups, including faith-based communities and nonprofits that offer support to PCC student veterans.
PCC conditioned the project on raising $300,000 in private donations. Done! On Dec. 18, a tireless grass roots committee emailed PCC President Rajen Vurdien to tell him that they had raised the money. The donors were:
Pasadena Community Bank, $100,000;
Prime Healthcare, $100,000;
Jameson Foundation, $25,000;
Stars of Hope Foundation, $25,000;
Rotary of San Marino, $25,000;
Sierra Madre VFW Post 3208, $10,000;
American Legion Post 13, $10,000;
Rotary of Altadena, $5,000.
One would expect congratulations from PCC, or a congratulatory press release. Instead, we have near radio silence.
According to Vurdien, “just prior to the holidays we received a legal opinion from our District Counsel regarding the housing of a Veteran’s Health Clinic on our campus. I will be discussing this opinion with our Board of Trustees before referring the matter to the VA for their review and response.”
There are about 1,000 veterans living in our town. Many of them have children.
The proposed VA center would offer services to all veterans, not just veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.
It’s not just about PTSD. We’ve seen the emergence of service-connected illnesses, such as Agent Orange-related diseases, Gulf War syndrome and OIF/OEF Burn Pit syndrome. A local health center in Pasadena would make it easier for all veterans to have access to that information, benefits and screening.
Most veterans are not at risk of PTSD. Most veterans were not exposed to toxins. Most veterans were not in combat. The risk varies by branch and type of service. While some Navy veterans were exposed to Agent Orange, most were not, unless their ships carried the chemical, or docked in a contaminated location.
Soldiers, Marines and airmen who stepped foot in Vietnam, including those in administrative or support positions, are at greater risk from Agent Orange. Today, as these men and women reach their 70s, there are spikes in heart disease and diabetes II. That’s why the VA recently added two new diseases to the list of Agent Orange presumptive diseases — ischemic heart disease and adult onset diabetes.
The research continues. Last month, ProPublica announced an investigation into illnesses, including cancer, among the children of Agent Orange veterans. PCC has a golden opportunity.
There are ample private donors. There is untapped community support. PCC faculty would benefit from collaboration with other educational institutions. PCC students could intern at the center. The VA, DOD and DARPA award millions in research grants each year.
The ball is in PCC’s court.
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ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner, Facebook and on Twitter @anitabrenner.