As Introduced
134th General Assembly
Regular Session H. C. R. No. 46
2021-2022
Representatives Johnson, Wilkin
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To urge President Biden not to recommend to Congress that 1
the Veterans Affairs Medical Center located in 2
Chillicothe, Ohio be closed. 3
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
OHIO (THE SENATE CONCURRING):
WHEREAS, Pursuant to the MISSION Act, a federal law passed 4
in 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is required to 5
study the current and future health care needs of veterans 6
across America, and to evaluate VA's health care infrastructure 7
to ensure VA is ready and able to continue to provide veterans 8
with world-class access and outcomes; and 9
WHEREAS, VA submitted its Asset and Infrastructure Review 10
(AIR) report to President Joseph R. Biden, the United States 11
Congress, and the AIR Commission on March 14, 2022; and 12
WHEREAS, According to VA, "The AIR report is the result of 13
years of research and analysis intended to help VA build a 14
health care network with the right facilities, in the right 15
places, to provide the right care for all Veterans, including 16
underserved and at-risk Veteran populations in every part of the 17
country — making sure our facilities and services are accessible 18
to Veterans in their communities"; and 19
WHEREAS, The AIR report includes a recommendation that the 20
H. C. R. No. 46 Page 2
As Introduced
VA Medical Center in Chillicothe be closed; and 21
WHEREAS, The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe 22
has been serving veterans in southern Ohio since 1924; and 23
WHEREAS, The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe 24
operates outpatient clinics in rural areas, including Athens, 25
Cambridge, Lancaster, Marietta, Portsmouth, and Wilmington, to 26
provide access to care close to rural veterans' homes; and 27
WHEREAS, The VA Chillicothe Healthcare System also serves 28
the health care needs of veterans living in parts of West 29
Virginia and Kentucky; and 30
WHEREAS, The facilities and programs of the Veterans 31
Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe have received 32
accreditation from the College of American Pathologists as well 33
as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities; 34
and 35
WHEREAS, The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe 36
has almost 1,400 employees who provide care to over 20,000 37
veterans each year; and 38
WHEREAS, In 2021, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 39
Chillicothe recorded 898 hospital admissions and 221,979 40
outpatient visits; and 41
WHEREAS, It is vital to provide veterans with health care 42
services close to where they live so that they have the means to 43
receive the care that they have earned; now therefore be it 44
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 134th General 45
Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge President Biden not to 46
recommend to Congress that the Veterans Affairs Medical Center 47
in Chillicothe be closed; and be it further 48
RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to reject President Biden's 49
recommendations by joint resolution if President Biden 50
H. C. R. No. 46 Page 3
As Introduced
recommends to Congress that the Veterans Affairs Medical Center 51
in Chillicothe be closed; and be it further 52
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives 53
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the 54
President of the United States, the United States Secretary of 55
Defense, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United 56
States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House 57
of Representatives, the members of the Ohio Congressional 58
delegation, and the news media of Ohio. 59