Senator Thune not sure on Hot Springs VA closure

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Veterans and the Hot Springs community are in a fight to save a major part of the town; not unlike the two struggles Rapid City had to save nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The problem is, the Veterans Administration has not released any detailed criteria they used to target its Hot Springs medical center; shifting to more of a partnership role with community health facilities.

The argument to keep Ellsworth was made point-by-point but with the medical center, no cost analysis was released. This makes mounting a challenge difficult. But ultimately, it could be a blessing if Congress gets into the act.

Senator John Thune says he wants to see the data the VA used to justify closing the medical center in Hot Springs and moving a lot of the healthcare services to Rapid City. Without that data, he doubts Congress will approve the plan.

"We're going to continue to hope we get answers to these questions and until we do... I don't have any expectation that this thing is going to proceed," Thune explained.

Saturday, Representative Kristi Noem has a town hall meeting in Hot Springs. It is from 9 to 10 a.m. at the American Legion Post.

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KOTA Territory NewsSenator Thune not sure on Hot Springs VA closure

Senator Thune not sure on Hot Springs VA closure

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