The VA Butler Healthcare System’s mission is to fulfill a promise made by President Abraham Lincoln — “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”

The health care system says its goal is to not only serve and honor the men and women who are our veterans, but to provide them and their families with care worthy of their sacrifices.

Toward that end, the site in Butler Township will use a portion of $800 million in maintenance funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to upgrade its facility. The work will include a new master control panel in Building 7, new roofs for Buildings 5 and 46 and a new nurse-call system for the community living center.

It will also include modernization of the infrastructure for electronic health records.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says this nonrecurring maintenance program is meant to make infrastructure improvements to the facilities to ensure safe and effective patient care.

If any section of our citizenry deserves a well-maintained health care system it's our veterans and any plan that calls for continued, deliberate work to ensure they are cared for gets our support. We support them for much the same reason as Lincoln himself laid out — it’s our duty to care for those who have endured the brunt of the battles we expect them to carry on their shoulders.

We expect a lot from our armed forces and their members. We expect them to answer when called, to not argue with what they are asked to do and to defend those of us who choose to stay safely in our homes while a battle rages elsewhere.

The very least — the bare minimum — we can do in return is to make sure they are able to lead healthy lives upon their return. Quite simply, this isn’t a big ask. It shouldn’t even be something a veteran has to expend effort to receive. Caring for our veterans should be as simple and normal to us as breathing.

The VA Butler Healthcare System has served veterans since 1947, working for about 27,000 of those who served throughout Western Pennsylvania and portions of Ohio. Last year, 787 employees — including 191 veterans — cared for 27,684 veterans and they achieved an “Outstanding Facility Performance” rating of 100%.

Hopefully, the infrastructure upgrades planned in the immediate and long-term future will ensure the VA in Butler can continue to serve for as long as we have veterans in need of care. Their service to us is an incredible gift and the opportunity to offer them a service in return is something that benefits all of us.

— KL