PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — At the front entrance to the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center off Blue Heron Boulevard, advocates honored an American hero.
The center was renamed after Thomas Corey, a Vietnam veteran who lost the use of his arms and legs in combat. Corey spent the rest of his life as an advocate for veterans treated at this facility.
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"Tom took his injuries into advocacy, and he absolutely did not stop," said Corey Price, the chief executive officer of the West Palm Beach Veterans Administration Healthcare System.
"He brought that same dedication to every person that put on a uniform in defense of this country," Congressman Brian Mast added.
This ribbon cutting comes at a time of cost cutting.
The U.S. Veterans Administration announced last month it is eliminating 80,000 jobs nationwide.
I pressed for answers from Mast, who is a veteran himself, if the job cuts will hurt the level of care here.
"It will provide better service," Mast said.
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Democratic leaders and some veteran’s advocates call the cuts, "a war on veterans."
They said patients who served our nation will suffer as programs will be cut.
Mast said the VA expanded its staff beyond its mission and added too many jobs and programs.
"Our government across the whole, whether it's the VA or any other agency, is going to prioritize the right things and not the wrong things," he said. "It's going to be more doctors, more nurses and less administrators in different positions."
Price said his staff at what is now the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center will adjust to provide the same level of care.
"To make this building, and this organization what Thomas H. Corey fought for, and continue his legacy," he said.
