CLEVELAND — There are roughly 134,000 veterans in Northeast Ohio. They don’t all choose and aren't always able to make their health a top priority. As part of News 5 Anchor Rob Powers's ongoing series, Your Service, he learned there’s a new effort to bring healthcare to veterans who may be traveling a bumpy road.
There’s some strategy involved in that. Veterans may be on the street or in a shelter or facility. Navy veteran Jesse Markko served on submarines and told Powers having health care on wheels makes it easier to take time for his health. He hoped in doing so, he could lead by example. McDonough visited the Cleveland VA Medical Center to hold a town hall with veterans, on Wednesday. Afterward, News 5 was the only television station there when McDonough took questions from journalists. After hearing concerns and problems veterans had been facing for the previous 90 minutes, he knew their trust had been broken.
“It is a manifestation of that effort to build trust with those veterans, to bring care to them. To say, ‘we care so much about you and what you’ve done for this country that we’re bringing our care to you.’” At the MMU stop outside Stella Maris, Navy Veteran Johnny Sims was among those hoping to lead by example.