EDITORIAL: Veterans home would fill need in area

Feb. 27--Preston and Spring Valley made their case two weeks ago for a proposed 72-bed nursing home for veterans in Fillmore County.

Members of the Senate Capital Investment Committee heard ambitious plans from the two cities for what would be the sixth nursing home operated by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, and the first opened in more than 20 years.

Whether Preston or Spring Valley is the best location, there's a need for more nursing home services for veterans, and a debt to be paid to our veterans by Minnesota and federal officials.

The mission for the veterans nursing homes is to "provide the highest level of care to those who answered our nation's call," to "continually develop and deliver a safe, dignified and compassionate health care system, and provide a nurturing and engaging home environment for Minnesota's heroes."

On the "continually developing" front, a new veterans nursing home hasn't opened since the mid-1990s. There are five currently, in Minneapolis and Hastings in the metro area; Silver Bay on the North Shore; Luverne, in the extreme southwestern corner, and Fergus Falls, in the west-central area.

Fillmore County can make a strong argument that it's our turn, in terms of location; so can Bemidji and Montevideo, which also are making bids, but Fillmore County can serve a larger population. Promoters say about a third of Minnesota's 355,000 veterans age 65 and older live less than 90 miles away.

The proposal has some legislative support for construction money; it would take about $10 million from the state and if approved, $20 million in federal money. There's no guarantee that federal funding will survive the current budget-cutting mandates in Washington, however, or that Minnesota's bid would prevail.

But local and state officials shouldn't let that keep them from pushing ahead. These facilities take years to plan, site and fund. The need is there, and the two communities in Fillmore County have done their homework, proposed attractive sites and shown their determination to compete for the federal dollars.

Fillmore County also has gained recognition statewide for its commitment to veterans, as the home of the second State Veterans Cemetery, which opened in 2016 near Preston.

There are dozens of worthwhile bonding proposals on the list for lawmakers to consider this session -- the governor has about $1.5 billion on his to-do list --and we've previously made a pitch for some, including RCTC's campus building project.

The veterans project may be more complicated than others, with the uncertain federal involvement, the competing proposals and the ongoing operating costs. But Minnesota's veterans have a demonstrated need for more nursing home services and by the time this project would open, it will have been nearly 30 years since services expanded.

We believe it's important that legislative leaders and the governor commit to the project and give Minnesota a chance at the federal match to make the home a reality.

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