VA to present town hall for vets

The Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center will host a veterans town hall at 3 p.m. today at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.

Public affairs officer Bret Bowers said the forum will provide a chance for veterans and their families to learn more about the local VA.

“This is an opportunity for veterans to get to know the VA in Northern Idaho as well as our leadership team,” Bowers said, “and to get updated on some other fun things on the horizon.”

Additionally, Bowers said VA leadership hopes to engage veterans in the community to understand more fully what their needs are.

“It’s a chance for VA leadership to hear directly from veterans and their families about whatever is on their minds,” he said.

Bowers added that veterans who do not yet have coverage through the VA are welcomed, and staff will be available to answer questions.

The regional VA — which covers western Montana, the Idaho panhandle, and most of Washington — hosts a town hall four times a year in various locations.

Roughly 120,000 veterans live in the region, according to Bowers, and 32,000 of those are covered directly by the Mann-Grandstaff VA.

Today’s event will be the first town hall in Coeur d’Alene since Robert Fischer was named the director of the medical center in Spokane last December.

Fischer is a veteran of the armed forces himself, spending a total of 32 years serving in the Army, Navy and Air Force. He heads the organization of 1,200 employees serving veterans at the medical center in Spokane, clinics in Coeur d’Alene and Wenatchee, and in other local communities.

The event is free and open to the public, and will take place in the community room on the lower level of the library. The town hall is expected to last about 90 minutes.