Page 6 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 6

Retired Generals



                   First to Fight for the Right





                    by Jane Bromley


                    If everything goes according to
                    plans, the 30,000+ veterans in
                    Lubbock and the South Plains
                    can look forward to a brand-
                    new facility devoted to caring
                    for their health. Lubbock has
                    had an outpatient VA clinic for
                    many years, and it has done
                    its best to serve area veterans.
                    However, the current location
                    is hard to find, and it isn’t
                    equipped to treat many of the
                    health issues veterans face.
                                                   Lubbock’s medical district. Dr.   Health Science Center.
                    Many problems require more     Mittemeyer is a 3-Star General
                    skilled care, and that means   (ret.) and former Surgeon      Not only will this ensure
                    a trip to Amarillo, where the   General of the Army who       “better access to specialty,
                    facility is larger. In addition,   has worked in the VA Clinic,   diagnostic, and emergency
                    if any issue requires more     treating fellow veterans, and   care,” it will “improve medical
                    specialized treatment, veterans   he knew we could do better.   education for TTUHSC
                    are often sent to Albuquerque.  He recruited his friends,     students by providing a wider
                                                   Major General (ret.) Walt      and more diverse patient
                    For an aging veteran, traveling   Huffman, Major General (ret.)   base.”
                    to Amarillo requires a full    Edgar Murphy, and Brigadier
                    day, which often creates a     General (ret.) Gary Harber.    When it is completed
                    hardship on the family. For                                   sometime in 2020, veterans
                    young veterans who are in      Their mission was to obtain    will have access to primary
                    school or have jobs, it is even   approval for a “more robust”   care, mental healthcare,
                    harder to find a day or more   VA clinic for Lubbock.  A      physical therapy, dermatology,
                    to make the trip to Amarillo or   committee of 20  like-minded   podiatry, orthopedics, dental,
                    Albuquerque.                   citizens came together. Phil   special care services and more.
                                                   Price, an Army veteran         A particular emphasis will be
                    Thanks to the vision of Dr.    himself, developed a formal    placed on PTSD, and mental
                    Bernhard Mittemeyer, the       proposal in 2011. The Texas    and behavioral health.
                    VA has approved a 94,000       Tech Board of Regents granted
                    sq. ft. “Super Clinic”. It will   land at virtually no cost. The   In addition to the effort of
                    triple the size of the existing   location is ideal, directly across   Phil Price and the rest of
                    building, which is located     from Texas Tech University     the committee, the generals
                    inconveniently far away from                                  are all quick to express their
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