May 19, 2021 3:10 a.m.

The Roseburg VA Health Care System will be converting the medical floor at the Roseburg VA Medical Center to an inpatient hospice unit.

A release said the Roseburg VA, in collaboration with Veterans Integrated Services Networks-20 and Veterans Health Administration, have made this decision to meet the evolving needs of the veterans they serve.

The release said this will expand the bed capacity at the local Community Living Center to a 65-bed unit focused on serving the aging veteran population in southern Oregon.

The VA said the number of veterans admitted to the medical unit has declined since the conversion of the Emergency Department to Urgent Care. It said the conversion of this unit will reaffirm the VA’s dedication to serving the veteran’s community.

The opening day for the new CLC unit will be June 14th. Staff on the unit have already begun specialized education and training to prepare for the conversion and will be ready on opening day, according to the VA.