Local official urges veterans and residents to pressure lawmakers after clinic funding pulled

Brian Hall, the county’s highway administration official, told the commission that the Robert Sylvie Veterans Clinic lost its federal funding and urged local veterans and residents to press federal lawmakers to restore support.

"Get off your ass and do something," Hall said, urging residents to contact the county’s U.S. senators and congressman to press for help. Hall said he has contacted the two senators and the congressman and asked citizens—particularly veterans who rely on the clinic—to make their concerns known to federal offices.

Hall told commissioners the clinic’s expansion was approved years earlier but Washington later pulled funding; as a result, veterans in the area must travel to Jefferson Barracks or to the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff for care. He said the clinic’s stalled funding decision has local economic implications, including lost jobs tied to the project.

Commissioners discussed the local impact and agreed the county should continue outreach to federal representatives and monitor any further communications from the clinic or federal offices.