Dorn VA Medical Center Celebrates $80 Million Projects

Columbia, SC (WOLO)– Veterans from all over the Midlands came to the William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center for their open house.  The Dorn VA took this opportunity to show off some of their new facilities and encourage veterans to take full advantage of all the programs available to them.

“I can see here that they really have a heart for serving the veterans,” Sandra O’Konek said. O’Konek served in the Air Force for 24 years. When she retired she still wanted to serve others. Now, she works with Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is one of the excited staff members showing off the facility.

“Many people that we invited out that hadn’t been here for a while hadn’t seen the renovations that took place or the increased care. Some of the additional staff that we put on to provide things that we didn’t provide before,” O’Konek said. 

The Dorn VA  is celebrating not only Veterans Day– which is only 10 days away, but dedicating the entire month to show the 400,000 veterans in the state that they are eligible for greater things.

David Omura: “We’d like them to know, come on in, learn more about us, see how we can help you. Whether it’s getting medication dropped off at your doorstep, to getting your hearing aid tested or to get your mobility needs such as a walker or a cane. We can do pretty much most of it here,” David Omura said, Dorn VA Medical Center Director.  Dorn VA serves 82,000 veterans in the Midlands and they have stepped up their care and are able to provide a lot more than they were previously.

“At times it’s just celebrating the great things that are happening. Here at this facility alone, we have 80 million dollars in new projects that are going to be invested in this campus. We’re excited about that, we want people to know about that because those are resources to help out our community,” Omura said. 

They now have a newly hired hand surgeon, renovated ICU and NICU facilities. With the $80 million, the next two to three years will be even better. They plan on a rehabilitation center, a prosthetics facility, a mental health facility, and improving their outpatient clinics in the state.

“A lot of people haven’t been in the VA lately and have a negative opinion based on things that they’ve heard in the past. I can tell you that with our new leadership we have here, they’re very serious about taking care of veterans and holding staff accountable to make sure that they take care of the veterans. I would encourage them to come back and give us another chance,” O’Konek said. 

To see if you are a veteran that qualifies for VA programs, click here.