SALEM — Following a series of local virtual town hall meetings in Eastern Oregon, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is looking to voice the concerns of local veterans regarding a proposed downgrade to the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Administration Medical Center in Walla Walla.

Wyden fielded input from local veterans in Union County and surrounding areas during a string of virtual town hall meetings, several of which were related to concerns over the potential plan to limit the scope of physical and mental health services at the medical center.

The proposal would move services such as a 31-bed residential rehabilitation treatment program to Spokane, Washington, increasing travel time and complications for veterans in Eastern Oregon who currently utilize the Walla Walla clinic’s current services.

In a letter addressed to Dr. Teresa Boyd of the VA Northwest Health Network Office and Walla Walla VAMC Director Scott Kelter, Wyden forwarded the comments of local veterans and called for more input from veterans in the decision-making process. The letter came in the wake of a call with the VA officials to discuss the apprehension expressed by veterans in Eastern Oregon.

“I have been hearing throughout Eastern Oregon from veterans that the physical and mental health services at the Walla Walla VAMC are critical to their well-being,” Wyden wrote in the letter. “Simply put, they have well-founded fears that the proposed facility downgrade will reduce the access to vital services they’re earned.”

The VA already has a community-based outpatient clinic in La Grande, which is frequently used by veterans in the rural region. The proposed changes to the Walla Walla center would make it similar to the La Grande clinic, and local veterans who need services beyond the outpatient clinic would have to travel to Spokane instead. Wyden cited winter conditions, lack of public transit and weather-related highway closures as reasons for concern over the proposed limitations of the Walla Walla clinic.

In his letter Wyden wrote that he finds these changes “particularly troubling to my constituents in Oregon, who often trek across state lines to receive crucial care from the VA,” he wrote. “Adding 180 miles to their commute will effectively cut off access to behavioral health and substance use treatment services.”

Wyden also included several other points from the local town halls in the letter, such as delays in travel reimbursement and technical failures related to the electronic health record system. The letter included seven questions in regard to how the proposed downgrade at the Walla Walla Clinic would negatively impact veterans in Eastern Oregon.

Following the letter, Wyden’s team reported that the VA and senator are planning a town hall to gather more input from local veterans on the future plans regarding their health care. Dates and formats for the town hall will be determined in the near future.