{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-speaks-va-clinic-opening", "Roby Speaks at VA Clinic Opening", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Celebrating recent progress and calling for teamwork to further improve care for veterans, U.S. Representative Martha Roby joined local, regional and national leaders at a ribbon cutting for the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care Systems new Chantilly clinic.\nThe new 150,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art clinic is intended to improve access and quality of care in a system that hasstruggled greatly. \nSpeaking to the crowd of VA employees and community partners, Roby thanked the administrators, doctors, nurses and support staff saying she hopes today is a \"turning point in the long saga of fighting to improve care for veterans.\nIm your partner in this,Roby said. \"Im your advocate in Washington for making sure you have the tools and resources you need to properly care for veterans. Im the one fighting to cut through the bureaucracy and make sure national VA leaders pay attention to Central Alabama so our veterans dont get left behind.\nAs someone who represents a district with a high concentration of veterans, I have a responsibility to fight on behalf of those who fought for us. I take that responsibility seriously, and Ill work alongside anyone who wants to be part of the solution.\nOver the last year and a half, Roby haspushed VA leaders to overhaul the Central Alabama VA systemafter the national Department of Veterans Affairs waitlist manipulation scandal came to Montgomery. Working with whistleblowers and the press, Roby worked to exposemajor instances of malfeasance and mismanagementthat resulted inthe Central Alabama VA director being the first senior manager in the country firedunder new accountability laws.\nRoby told those gathered at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that he work continues to build a community network of hospitals and providers that will partner with VA to help veterans receive care locally.\nSoon, I will be bringing together VA leaders to sit down with the hospital CEOs from around Alabama so we can talk about a partnership that helps veterans get care in their own communities.\nWhen a veteran in Troy or Greenville or Andalusia is allowed to easily access their local provider for care, it means they arent forced to drive to Montgomery or Tuskegee or here at Chantilly. It also means the demand at our VA facilities is eased up so they can properly tend to those already on their rolls. Weve had some initial conversations, and Im optimistic we can build a community veterans health care network that can be a national model for how to improve access and deal with this heightened demand.\nThe full text of Robys remarks at todays ribbon-cutting ceremony is below.\nThank you very much. I certainly share everyones excitement about the opening of this impressive facility. Our veterans deserve a world-class facility like this and it is my hope that bringing this clinic online will greatly enhance CAVHCS ability to serve veteran patients.\nI want to take a moment to thank Tom Smith and Traci Solt for the job they are doing. They have taken the reins under some pretty difficult circumstances and have gotten results. I know it isnt easy to have a congressman breathing down your neck, but they have been reliable and straightforward in communicating with me about progress, and let me tell you that alone is a breath of fresh air.\nAnd progress IS being made. I get regular updates from Tom and I have been encouraged to see the numbers improving lately. Badly needed staff has been hired to fill some of these gaps that have been there for years. All this means more veteran patients are receiving the care they need in a timely fashion, and thats what its all about. And, its because of the hard work of so many CAVHCS employees who have dedicated their careers to helping veterans. I want to thank everyone who works at CAVCHS, from the administrators and doctors to the nurses and support staff. I know that the vast majority of those who work at the VA are dedicated individuals who work hard to take care of veterans, often in some difficult, pressure-filled situations. On behalf of Alabamas 2ndCongressional District, I want you all to know how grateful I am for all you do to take care of our veterans.\nI know the last year and a half hasnt been easy. Change is never easy, but it has been necessary. Some things needed to change at CAVHCS and really the VA nationwide. We are certainly not finished pushing to make improvements. My staff and I remain will remain vigilant in making sure our veterans are receiving the care they need - because thats our job.\nBut, I hope today can be a turning point in for all of us. As Traci or Tom would probably tell you, Im your partner in this. Im your advocate in Washington for making sure you have the tools and resources you need to properly care for veterans. Im the one fighting to cut through the bureaucracy and make sure national VA leaders pay attention to Central Alabama so our veterans dont get left behind.\nVery soon, I will be bringing together local, regional and national VA leaders to sit down with the hospital CEOs from around Alabama so we can talk about building a community veterans health care network. When a veteran in Troy or Greenville or Andalusia is allowed to easily access their local provider for care, it means they arent forced to drive to Montgomery or Tuskegee or here at Chantilly. It also means the demand at our VA facilities is eased up so they can properly tend to those already on their rolls. Weve had some initial conversations, and Im optimistic we can build a community veterans health care network that can be a national model for how to improve access and deal with this heightened demand.\nAs someone who represents a district with a high concentration of veterans, I have a responsibility to fight on behalf of those who fought for us. I take that responsibility seriously, and Ill work alongside anyone who wants to be part of the solution. Thats why Im honored to be here with you today to celebrate this exciting facility. I hope this facility will give us even more momentum in our journey to ensure no veterans in Central Alabama get left behind.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-speaks-va-clinic-opening"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8620719891041517, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}