CLARKSBURG'S VA NURSING HOME NOW A REALITY

(11/11/2006)
The opening of the Veterans Nursing Home in Clarksburg has been a long time coming.

"I've personally been involved in this over the past eight years, from the time I was in the Legislature to actually now seeing this thing actually built and ready to open," says State Veterans Affairs Director Larry Linch.

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller and other local and state officials will dedicate the site in a ceremony today.

"This completely new state of the art facility has been a dream of so many dedicated veterans and committed local officials," says Senator Rockefeller.

The Veterans Nursing Home is a 52,000 square foot nursing home with 120 beds in four wings. Altogether, the project cost $26 million with 65% of that money coming from a federal grant.

"We've tried to make this so that it is a homey type place for the veteran that stays there," says Linch, bright colors, lots of space and windows in every room.

Linch says the nursing home will open in phases. There are four wings that hold 30 patients each.

West Virginia was one of a few states that did not have adequate nursing home facilities. There's 200,000 veterans in the state. Per capita, WV has the largest veterans population in the country.