Patients are sent to The Med in College Station for X-rays and lab work, but any referrals to specialists must be done at one of the VA's main facilities. In an emergency, patients are referred to the VA hospitals in Temple, Waco, Marlin and Houston, though the clinic is across Rock Prairie Road from the College Station Medical Center. Norman Beal, who served in the U.S. Marines Corps for seven years and fought in Korea, volunteers at the clinic several times a week. I'm in good health, and I feel for them that they have to go so far to get what they need. Beal, a member of the local Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters, said he sent a letter to Brady this week.
People come in here every day seeking help and it's kind of pathetic.
There is no easy answer to give them. I haven't heard anything more about it in the last few weeks. State Rep. Fred Brown, R-College Station, said he is aware of the problem but is powerless to resolve it. That's all done at the federal level.