Veterans health center dedicated in Marina

Leaders of all kinds, including U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) gathered Friday morning to dedicate a new veteran’s health clinic in Marina.

The Major General William H. Gourley VA-DOD Outpatient Clinic is the second joint health care facility in the nation and was built through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD).

For veterans Rafael Hernandez and David Ambriz the new clinic is a long awaited dream come true.

“It’s fantastic we’ve been dreaming about this for so many years and now it’s coming true,” said Ambriz.

Both men are Vietnam veterans from Watsonville and for years they would have to make the long trek to Palo Alto for most procedures.

“Now its way more convenient, it’s just down the road from home,” said Hernandez.

Convenience wasn’t the only highlight during Friday’s dedication ceremony though. The partnership project is an opportunity for VA and DOD patients and their families to get proper care in nearly all fields of medicine.

“This clinic is going to provide the medical backdrop for all of that,” said Farr.

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald also says the clinic will increase education, research and open up the door for more veterans to get the health care they are entitled to.

“We’ve discovered that when we open a new facility we increase access to veterans so more veterans come into the system,” said McDonald.

The clinic was named in honor of General William H. Gourley who died in 2008. His family says he was a vital part in making the facility a reality.

“He worked really hard,” said Gourley’s daughter Carolyn Burke. “It was his last big project and I was just proud to be here today.”

The VA, however, did see some scandal in 2014 when CNN reported that at least 40 veterans died while waiting for care at a facility in Arizona. It also was reported that some veterans weren’t getting the care they needed in a timely manner creating a backlog. But new numbers released by the VA suggest wait times are down and wait lists are getting shorter.

McDonald also says veterans are getting trusted care from well-trained doctors.

“Our veterans are getting the very best care from doctors who are not only doing the research from also teaching at the very best medical schools in country.”

The facility was built on old Fort Ord land and that is something Marina mayor Bruce Delgado says is a great use of space.

“It’s pretty exciting to see those old abandon buildings coming down to be replaced by something as honorable and functional at this outpatient health care clinic,” said Delgado.

The total cost of the project was $10 million and the building will officially open for outpatient services in the Spring of 2017.