Staff Writer
HOLYOKE - Recent budget cuts announced by Gov. Deval Patrick will mean that the 2,200 area veterans who depend on the Holyoke Soldiers' Home's outpatient services will no longer have that option - and the move will likely translate to increased traffic at local clinics.
According to Soldiers' Home's superintendent Mike Pasterczyk, with the $894,000 cut to the facility's 9C funding, it will no longer be able to provide veterans with a variety of outpatient services, including prescription renewals, dental care, routine checkups and doctor consultations.
The cuts, Pasterczyk said, will also bring job losses for a number of the organization's employees. He declined to specify how many or in which department because the cuts were still being reviewed by the office of employee relations.
"This means that (veterans) are going to have to seek out other private physicians or health clinics for these services, and depending on where these 2,200 vets go, other clinics will definitely feel the strain," Pasterczyk said.
Although Pasterczyk said this round of budget cuts will have no impact on the 285 veterans who live at the home and receive long-term care services, officials are preparing for additional cuts in the future.
"Indications have been told to us that fiscal 2011, which will commence on July 1, 2010, will be worse than fiscal 2010, so we will be bracing ourselves for that," Pasterczyk said.
After receiving word of the discontinuance Friday afternoon, Mary Rodowicz, public relations manager at the Northampton VA Medical Center in Leeds, said the hospital offered its support.
"We heard today because of the media and we talked to them informally and offered to assist them with some of their veterans during the transition," Rodowicz said.
"We are working with the Soldiers' Home to figure out exactly how many veterans this is going to affect."
One local news channel that aired the announcement last night, Rodowicz said, featured interviews with area veterans who said the trip to Leeds would be too far for them.
"Those veterans should know that we offer outpatient services in Greenfield, Springfield and Pittsfield, so people should keep that in mind," Rodowicz said. "If they are able to enroll, they could receive some of their care at one of those clinics if that is more convenient for them."
Veterans affected by the cuts who are interested in enrolling at the VA, Rodowicz said, should contact their eligibility department at 582-3091, to see if they qualify.
Steven Connor, a veterans services officer for Central Hampshire County, said he expects the cuts will mean a lot more veterans coming to him for help.
"I will probably see more people coming to me at Veterans Services to find out whether or not they qualify for care other places," Connor said. "Some of the veterans already know that this program exists, and those that don't will find out soon, because they won't have anywhere else to go."
According to WWLP Channel 22 News, tState Sen. Michael Knapik (R.-Westfield) and State Rep. Michael Kane (D-Holyoke) have sent a letter to the governor, asking him to reconsider the cuts.
A rally in protest of the budget cuts has been scheduled by staff members and veterans for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Crosier Field, 1914 Northampton St. in Holyoke.
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.
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