COMMUNITY Bemidji Veterans Home construction continues

The Bemidji Veterans Home, currently under construction, is on track to open in mid-2023.

Located at 920 Anne Street NW, the facility will sit on 14 acres of land donated by nearby Sanford Health.

In December 2022, Kevin Gish was chosen as the administrator.

Originally from Mahnomen, Gish is a Bemidji State University graduate with over a decade of experience in administration, has joined the project and is now in the process of filling out the rest of his team.

After over a decade of gathering local support, the project was first granted state funding in 2018, and an official groundbreaking ceremony was held in August 2021.

Estimated to cost $45.5 million, the facility will house 72 private living quarters for veterans and certain members of their families who require skilled nursing care. The 72 residential units with private baths will be split into two “neighborhoods” and four “households” of 18 residents each, providing a more homelike atmosphere.

The design reflects a Northwoods cabin feel for the public spaces that include a town center featuring a small coffee shop/cafe, theater/meeting room, family dining room, meditation room/chapel and club room.

Veterans Services Office assists vets with earned benefits

The Hubbard County Veterans Services Office offers assistance and support to eligible veterans, their dependents and sur vivors in obtaining benefits through the state and federal departments of Veterans Affairs, and provides benefit counseling, claims service, and referrals for a variety of other programs.

Veterans Service Officers Jerrold Bjerke and Aaron Majors provide assistance on compensation and pension benefits, healthcare, education, insurance, home loan, military records and awards, and death benefits.

The office is located at 201 Fair Ave. in Park Rapids, and the phone number is 218-732-3561.

Veteran outreach in Laporte is held on the third Thursday of each month by appointment only.

Admissions will be staggered and gradual, and only a small number of residents will be admitted until after the home is approved by a Department of Veterans Affairs inspection. The facility has already received well over 100 applications for residents since the process opened in September 2022, and the hope is for the home’s doors to open in August 2023.

Veterans Administration Clinic

A Veterans Administration (VA) Community-Based Outpatient Clinic is located in Bemidji. Call 218-755-6360 to set up an appointment. Veterans currently enrolled in the VA system who would like to transfer their care to the Bemidji clinic may contact their local county veteran service office. For Hubbard County residents, the number is 218-732-3561.