In a front-page article in the Bangor Daily News of Aug. 24, the headline reads, “Down East veterans home gets OK; preliminary approval given for $3.5 million facility in Washington County.”

Gov. Angus King, local politicians, city managers and Passamaquoddy officials all are praising the idea and it is difficult to imagine any negative comments upon an idea whose path seems so well greased. There is a darker side to this grand idea that needs to be examined by policy-makers.

I am a former politician from Washington County, and I also owned nursing homes in Lubec and Milbridge. I currently have no financial interest in Washington County, but I do know the business of running nursing-residential care operations. My current business is confined to Belfast.

First, the governor talks about the 100 new jobs to be created by this new facility. Where does the governor think these employees will come from? Currently the residential health care facilities from Calais to Milbridge are going begging for health care workers. The labor force of Washington County, as well as the general county population has decreased according to the 2000 census.

These “new jobs” are not new jobs created from a new manufacturing operation in response to new or unmet demand, but jobs and services that currently exist in presently operating health care facilities in Washington County – facilities that can and do offer the same services that the government proposes to replace at taxpayers expense. Let me ask you this – who provides you with more responsive and immediate health care now – Togus or Eastern Maine Medical Center? Compare the costs (tax impact) of operating Togus and veterans homes to the costs of other non-government operated facilities.

Secondly, the governor states that in Washington County there are 5,000 veterans and their families who will not have to travel so far to visit relatives. Out of a population of 33,941 in Washington County there are 5,872 people over the age of 65. For many years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has contracted with community nursing homes, as they do here in Belfast and every other Maine community where these government run publicly funded institutions do not exist. How does residential health care for veterans differ from that of the general population in a way that would require a dedicated, governmentally operated, publicly funded facility?

During the King administration, the state of Maine has closed approximately 3000 nursing home beds and approximately 40 percent of all remaining beds are in danger of closing. In recent days we have read the news of the closing of long-term care homes in several Maine towns. Is it the role of government to deny convenient access to services for some, while creating special opportunity for the same services for a single special population? As mentioned above, it has always worked well when the VA contracts with community nursing homes to provide care for veterans. There are vacancies in most of the current Washington County facilities. Why place them in further jeopardy by creating a redundant, governmentally operated, publicly funded facility?

I am of the understanding that we are continuing to reduce the numbers of military serviceman. It also seems evident that the number of veterans will continue to decline as retired military population ages and active military roles decline. According to a report from

the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Actuary, and authorized by Robert E. Klein:

1. The total population of veterans in the U.S. declined by 1,452,000 between 1988 and 1995, their latest reporting year.

2. The total number of veteran admissions in the U.S. into nursing homes declined by 4,496 between 1988 and 1995.

3. The Northeast will show the greatest decline in veterans’ populations, and by 2020 the U.S. veterans population will be reduced 40 percent.

4. Finally, 94.5 percent of veterans are men and only 5.5 percent are women. Is it fair to set up specialized facilities and utilize high amounts of tax dollars in this unfair means?

If you wish to verify these facts, you can go to www.va.gov

As a businessman and a taxpayer, it does not make sense to me to build a new service system to meet a declining need among a special population and reduce a service system that is meeting a consistent need from the general population, and can also accommodate the needs of the veteran population.

Veterans have served our country well and deserve our respect. The 5,872 people in Washington County over the age of 65, a percentage of whom are veterans, all deserve respect an equal treatment – whether they fished our bays, logged in our woods, worked in our factories, educated our children, or served our country in the military. All served – all deserve equal access to high-quality health care services. Not one at the expense of another.

Larry M. Brown, Ed.D is a former Senator from Washington County, 1980-1986.