Oxnard VA Clinic Snagged, Study on Vets’ Needs Ordered

Several times a month, 73-year-old William Hites wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and prepares for a long journey.

He shaves, gets dressed and eats breakfast, then his wife drives him to a street corner in Oxnard, where a van is waiting to take him to the San Fernando Valley.

Hites--a World War II veteran who won a Purple Heart and two Bronze Star Medals--is one of thousands of veterans countywide who must travel to Santa Barbara or Los Angeles County to receive medical care because there are no Department of Veterans Affairs clinics in Ventura County.

Like many other veterans, Hites was anxiously awaiting the opening of the Oxnard community clinic for veterans at the Salvation Army, which was scheduled to open Wednesday.

But he and other veterans will have to wait until the beginning of next year or longer to receive VA medical help locally.

The VA in Washington and the regional office in West Los Angeles have decided to postpone the opening of the Oxnard community clinic until a comprehensive study of area veterans’ medical needs is conducted.

That means an application for the Oxnard clinic will have to be approved by the VA in Washington, and later Congress.

VA officials say that with more than 81,000 veterans in Ventura County, there is a need for a local clinic. But, in an era of tight budgets and careful scrutiny of resources, they will have to convince Washington officials of the need.

In the meantime, vets like Hites, who will continue their long commute for medical care, are keeping their fingers crossed.

“It would be a lot more convenient for us veterans here. My wife could drive me there,” said Hites, referring to the Oxnard clinic. “After all, Sepulveda [facility in the Valley] ain’t around the corner.”

Salvation Army and VA officials said they began discussing plans to open a community-based clinic just for veterans in Oxnard in August. A preliminary agreement was signed in October between the Salvation Army and VA officials outlining the types of services the clinic would provide.

But Salvation Army plans to open the clinic on Dec. 18 were suddenly derailed when VA officials decided to put together a comprehensive plan.

“The date established was premature,” said Lynn Carrier, assistant executive director of the VA medical center in West Los Angeles.

“It would be in everybody’s best interest to have that formal approval. It makes everything easier and could allow us more flexibility to have the formal process completed. Without a formal process we are limited to ad hoc, simple screening activities” at the clinic, said Carrier.

If the community clinic plan is approved, primary care services such as dental screenings, psychological reviews and hearing tests will be offered, she said.

But the delay has frustrated Salvation Army officials, veterans advocates and the veterans.

“We were getting 20 calls a day” from veterans asking about the local clinic, said Capt. Norman Patton, head of the Oxnard/Port Hueneme Salvation Army.

Patton said the Salvation Army already has a clinic facility available and officials were hoping to expand their services to a couple days a week. Currently the Salvation Army, in association with the Ventura County Health Department, runs a free clinic two days a month.

“We felt it was a win-win situation for the VA and the Salvation Army. They were able to expand their services at no cost to the VA and it is a way of serving the homeless vets better,” Patton said.

Charles Lowrance, head of the county’s Veterans Services office, said it is about time a facility opened in Ventura County.

“We think this area is underserved by the VA,” Lowrance said. “We were certainly anticipating the clinic’s opening, and there were a lot of expectations from veterans in the county.”

The continual travel to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara is a hassle for many vets, particularly those in wheelchairs.

Jacque Lee, an Air Force veteran, broke his leg in August and was confined to a wheelchair. But the VA van was not wheelchair accessible.

“They really gave me quite a hassle,” the Oxnard resident said. “A wheelchair vet without his own transportation is in for a heap of trouble.”

Lee said a local clinic would eliminate long trips for minor appointments such as checkups and follow-up exams.

“Your whole day is wasted,” he said.