Ryan touts letter to turn Northside into VA center

NILES — Ohio lawmakers said they hope Northside Regional Medical Center operators and the Department of Veterans Affairs can partner to turn the facility into a new VA agency.

U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, Bill Johnson, (R-Marietta, and U.S. Sen Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio submitted a letter Wednesday to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, urging the department to form a public-private partnership with Northside operator Steward Health Care, which recently announced the Youngstown hospital would close.

The letter suggests the facility could become a space for VA services such as transitional housing for veterans struggling with homelessness or substance abuse disorders or 3-D fabrication of prostethic limbs.

Ryan spoke with reporters about the letter during a short press conference Wednesday in Niles.

"(We're) just exploring all options here. We can't let that facility die," he said.

Read more on this development on Vindy.com or in Thursday's Vindicator.