Vet Center to do outreach in the Marianas

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) announced yesterday that Vet Center services will soon be available to Marianas veterans. The initial outreach visit by Guam Vet Center providers is scheduled for next Wednesday, Feb. 28 on Saipan. Outreach visits to Tinian and Rota are planned for March.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vet Centers provide veterans, service members, and their families with a wide range of mental health and social services at no cost,” Sablan said. “These outreach visits by the Guam Vet Center are an important first step in the right direction. Our ultimate goal is to establish a Vet Center of our own, right here in the Northern Marianas.”

The Guam Vet Center’s initial visits to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota will be needs assessments with veterans and other stakeholders. The congressional office is working with Guam Vet Center director Dr. Edward Santos to identify stakeholder groups and coordinate meetings. Counseling services through on-island visits and telehealth are set to begin in March.

According to Santos, Vet Centers serve as “access points” to the full range of VA services, including health care, benefits, education, and readjustment counseling.

“Our motto is ‘Keeping the Promise,’ and veterans are given a welcome home and may walk in at any time to a Vet Center,” Santos said.

“Currently there are at least 300 Vet Centers throughout the country. Having a Vet Center in the Northern Marianas will be a critical bridge in accessing VA Services,” he added.

A member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee since February 2017, Sablan has been pressing the VA to improve services for veterans in the Marianas, including access to VA medical and mental health care. A fully-staffed VA clinic and Vet Center are two of Sablan’s top priorities.

Sablan met with VA Secretary David Shulkin and his staff several times last year and again on Feb. 14, 2018, in Washington to discuss the needs of Marianas veterans, including the need for a Vet Center. Within hours of that Feb. 14 meeting, Santos notified the congressional office that he had received VA approval to move forward with services to the Marianas.

“I thank Secretary Shulkin for his commitment to improving VA services for veterans here in the Marianas,” Sablan said. “And I thank the Guam Vet Center’s director, Dr. Edward Santos, for his invaluable support and collaboration as well.”

For more information, contact the congressional office at 323-2647 or kilili@mail.house.gov, or contact the Guam Vet Center at (671) 472-7161. (PR)