Wyden, Merkley Press VA to Answer Questions About Abrupt Closure of Eastern Oregon Clinic
Senators: Shadowy shutdown of Wallowa County VA Clinic in Enterprise is “unacceptable” for quality and accessible veterans care
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded the Department of Veterans Affairs answer questions by April 15 about the sudden closure of the Wallowa County VA Clinic in Enterprise, and what plans are in place to ensure veterans in Eastern Oregon receive the quality and accessible health care they earned by serving our country.
“As of this letter’s date, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has yet to update its website to indicate this clinic is, in fact, closed,” the Oregon senators wrote VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This is unacceptable. Our veterans deserve to know where they can seek care whenever they need it and should not have to drive miles and miles only to find a shuttered, abandoned clinic.”
Wyden and Merkley sought assurances from the VA in their letter that the veterans of Wallowa County and surrounding areas will not have any disruptions to services.
“Our veterans need timely access to primary care, mental health, and suicide prevention programs, among other key services,” Wyden and Merkley wrote. “Absent a clear plan from the VA, we remain deeply concerned about the Department’s ability to deliver these services for people who earned them and expect the VA to follow through on its commitments.”
The senators noted they’re especially concerned about care for Eastern Oregon veterans given the larger national backdrop of the VA firing thousands of federal employees, canceling nearly 900 contracts, and imposing a hiring freeze that’s worsened the severe shortage of critical specialties.
“Taken together, these actions have jeopardized the quality and timeliness of care for veterans nationwide,” the senators wrote. “The closure of the Wallowa County VA Clinic in the context of all of these actions leaves us with deep concerns about how the VA will meet our veterans’ needs.”
Wyden and Merkley closed their letter to Collins by seeking a response by April 15, 2025 to the concerns they outlined.
The entire letter is here.
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