BECKLEY, WV (WVDN) — Gov. Jim Justice led a groundbreaking event for a much-anticipated new veterans nursing facility in Beckley. Gov. Justice joined veterans, state and elected officials, project managers, and directors from the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance for the ceremony.
Gov. Justice also announced that the facility will be named in honor of a Southern West Virginia Vietnam Veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient: Fayette County native Charles Calvin Rogers. U.S Army Major General Rogers, a native of Claremont who died in 1990, earned the Medal of Honor following acts of heroism that took place near the Cambodian border on November 1, 1968.
“This is a truly special day for West Virginia and for our veterans, especially our veterans in Southern West Virginia,” Gov. Justice said. “This facility is going to be one of the best in the country, and it should be, because that’s what our veterans deserve. It’s especially meaningful because we get to honor General Charles Calvin Rogers, who is a true American military hero and one of our own.”
The Charles Calvin Rogers Veterans Nursing Facility is in the final stages of design and planning. The facility will be located on property adjacent to the Jackie Withrow Hospital, which is on South Eisenhower Drive.
The 120-bed, state-of-the-art nursing facility will be constructed through a combination of state and federal money. Construction is estimated to take 18 months to two years. Veterans in Southern West Virginia had appealed for this facility, and it became reality when Gov. Justice earmarked funds necessary for construction.
The nursing facility will be financed via a grant administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Among many requirements, grant approval calls for land to be identified and state money to be in place. Gov. Justice’s administration made the Beckley property available as the facility’s site then set aside the required state funds.
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