New Hanover County, N.C. – New Hanover County, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and Congressman David Rouzer convened a meeting on Thursday, November 12 on the status of the Wilmington VA Health Care Center as part of their ongoing effort to resolve the water quality issues at the Wilmington VA and obtain their mutual goal of providing quality healthcare to the veterans in the area and their families.
The following was discussed at the meeting:
New Hanover County’s representatives outlined for the Congressman the procedure that has been established to ensure that the root cause of the water quality issues is identified and that the situation is remedied.
The building owner/landlord has hired a Wilmington-based engineering firm to conduct the investigation and to recommend steps to mitigate the source of the problem. Upon completion of the necessary corrective action a repeat analysis of the water from the building’s fixtures will be conducted to ensure its potability. As soon as it can be demonstrated that the water is potable, the New Hanover County Department of Health “Do Not Use Water” notice will be removed.
According to VA officials, the majority of the facility is operational, and the full range of services the building was designed to provide are available to Veterans except gastroenterology and urology procedures. These services include primary care, dental, mental health, audiology, optometry, pharmacy and specialty clinics and more.
“Every party involved is committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible for our veterans,” said Rep. David Rouzer. “I’m confident that this is the best process to determine the source of the contamination so that we can get this issue resolved.”
