To the editor: Convert St. Luke’s to Veterans Affairs facility

Elected representatives and local leaders should consider transforming St. Luke’s campus into a Veterans Affairs facility.

Local veterans have a wonderful clinic on Detroit Avenue that, I can attest from experience with my parents, veterans receive outstanding care.

For veterans that require hospital stays, long-term care, or surgeries, they would be required to travel to Ann Arbor, Cleveland, or Dayton for care.

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For veterans requiring long-term care, a trip to Sandusky or Ann Arbor are the choices.

If you have had the chance to visit any, or all, of these facilities, you will immediately see that they are routinely filled to the maximum capacity.

Veterans can, at times, experience long wait times for procedures.

As a former employee of St. Luke’s who is familiar with the hospital and surrounding buildings, I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear about the closing of St. Luke’s. The decision to demolish the hospital as it was determined to be “functionally obsolete,” is kind of stunning. Weren’t they performing successful surgeries and saving lives at St. Luke’s just a short time ago?

Transforming this campus to a veterans hospital and long-term care facility is possible with public and private support.

Bon Secours Mercy — current owner of the hospital — could lease, or donate, the building to the V.A. Mercy could also provide expertise where needed like surgeons, stat testing, microbiology, and lab services for example, on a fee for service basis agreement with the V.A. The hospital is solidly built and has everything needed to make this a terrific addition to the V.A. hospital system.

The newer west wing could be transformed into a long-term care and skilled rehabilitation center including mental health specialization.

Every ancillary department a hospital would need to function is there.

A large auditorium for special events, dietary, environmental, re-hab, ample parking, an ADA compliant facility, the list goes on and on. Certainly the St. Luke’s campus will require HVAC, electrical, and other upgrades the two parties could negotiate in the lease.

St. Luke’s was a great place to work, which provided good paying jobs, excellent location, and a familial atmosphere.

The city of Maumee would have an anchor to their tax base restored and the Veterans Affairs would become one of the area’s largest employers.

The proposed St. Luke’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center would be a wonderful addition to the Veterans Administration Health System.

MATT PFLEGHAAR

Mr. Pfleghaar is former employee of St. Luke’s 1977-1990 and currently is employed as a pathology sales manager for Cleveland Clinic Foundation.