State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, has been appointed to the Advisory Council for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Veterans’ Center in Pittsburgh.
Ward, in her third term, was elected to the state Senate in 2008.
She said she is anxious to learn more about the center and will tour the facility in the near future to talk with residents and administrators. Her first board meeting is in October.
The 236-bed state-operated center provides health care and related services to veterans and spouses who are disabled, chronically ill, or in need of specialized care. It includes 40 beds for residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Such facilities have taken on added significance in a region with a graying population and a large concentration of veterans. Allegheny and Westmoreland counties alone have a combined veteran population of more than 140,000.
The 15-member Advisory Council provides input and recommendations on the management and operation, of the facility that the Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs opened in 1997.
“Providing and ensuring quality care for our veterans and spouses as they age or when facing debilitating injuries or illness, is just one small way we can help honor and thank them for their sacrifice and service to our nation,” Ward said.
