In October 1945, President Harry S. Truman approved the establishment of tbe Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville Florida. In December of the same year the construction was canceled.
It was not until October 10, 1961 that President John F. Kennedy made the official approval of what is now known as The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center located at 1601 SW Archer Road in Gainesville Florida.
Since then it has been swarmed with Veterans in need of healthcare from all over the State of Florida and North Georgia.
Unfortunately the Veteran’s Affairs office has been swarmed with almost as many complaints ranging from lack of compassion, poor hygiene to death, and much in between.
Marine Corporal Lawrence W. Hale was the first patient ever admitted and with him came the first complaint, stating a staff member tried to give him food that was clearly spoiled.
Since the complaints flood the office of Veterans Affairs and they seem to be getting more and more violent and unacceptable, with families in outrage that their loved ones have fought for their country and have been promised a level of care for their service. They now fear for their safety each time they make a trip to the facility in Central Florida, right next to the ever popular “Swamp” as called by University of Florida students and alum, home of the FIghting Gators.
Local Affiliate TV 20 had covered the complaints on many occasions but according to family member Tawanna Brooks “We’re ready for our own fight. We don’t want to leave our loved ones here. We might as well send them back to war”.
After so many allegations, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs has decided enough is enough. This statement was released just hours ago-
“With the new Administration, [citing Pres. Trump] there is no room for these types of errors. We can no longer allow for these conditions and the treatment of our valued Veterans. We will be moving our long term and terminally ill patients to nearby hospitals for continued treatment and we will begin the referral process for those that seek treatments and appointments that do not require long term or overnight stay. We plan on having the facility permanently closed by August 1st, 2017. A new, state-of-the-art facility will replace it and is slated to be fully operational by December 2019. The location is still to be determined, however we have used the 2017 census results as well as current patient locations and feedback to determine the best for the Veterans of the great State of Florida. We can say that Winterhaven, Palatka, and Lake Mary have been tbe strongest areas but others are being considered as well. We will of course be keeping the publuc abreast of all changes as they’re made. Our many employees will find counselors as well as many special staff units set up to help them in this transition as well. Thank you.”
Malcom Randall VA Medical Center To Close August 2017
