BONHAM - Bonham veterans are calling for expanding health care services at the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center.
The city was presented with a petition that asks the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide the service locally. Korean War veteran Mike Connors stated, in an address this week to council, that current emergency needs require a bus trip to Dallas and that the Bonham clinic will see patients by appointment only.
North Texas E-News reports that the Bonham VA has not had an emergency room since the ICU and hospital beds were closed more than 10 years ago. The facility currently has more than 10,000 veterans enrolled in scheduled outpatient services Monday through Friday. A physician is also on duty to provide urgent care services and all urgent care needs are sent to Red River Regional Hospital (RRRH) in Bonham. The hospital then coordinates transfers to the Dallas VA Medical Center.