Daily Hampshire Gazette – VA prepares for birthday party: Leeds Medical Center will celebrate 100 years with circus acts, games and visits from prominent leaders

NORTHAMPTON Marking a century of caring for veterans and their families, the Leeds VA Medical Center is hosting an anniversary event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, featuring entertainment, food, speakers and a tour of historical panels.

Entertainment will include stilt walking, hand balancing, juggling and a cyr wheel.

Circus acts and games are part of the history here, Jonathan Kerr, interim executive director of the Edward P. Boland VA Medical Center, said Thursday.

Many people live on campus at medical centers, he noted, and there is a tradition of celebrating every 25 years with this kind of entertainment for veterans.

The fanfare music will be provided by the military band of the 215th Army. Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, State Sen. John Velis of Westfield, Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton and Jesse Lederman, regional director for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, are expected to speak.

For veterans and their families, there will be local veterans groups to share their services as well as service presentations which can be found on the Leeds campus or virtually.

The hospital's extensive photo collection, dating back to the beginning of construction, has been maintained over the years through the efforts of volunteers.

We would definitely have a historic room with physical artifacts and a slide show with photos on a continuous reel, Kerr said.

Leeds Medical Center is the headquarters of the West Central Massachusetts Health System, which covers the western two-thirds of the state, from Pittsfield to Worcester.

Coolidge Connection

The way the hospital was located in Northampton probably had something to do with Calvin Coolidge. According to a brief history provided by the VA, the new Veterans Affairs Office, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs, decided in 1921 to build a hospital to serve centers in Boston and New York.

Fred A. Farrar, president of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce and a longtime acquaintance of Coolidge, the former mayor of Northampton who was then vice president, proposed building the hospital on Old Bear Hill in Leeds. He sent a letter with photos to the office's rehospitalization committee to promote the idea.

The Harding-Coolidge administration approved the site, and in 1922 construction began, with horse-drawn carriages and steam shovels used to lay the foundation for the 105-acre campus.

In May 1924, the hospital was officially opened and began treating patients.

Therapy for Combat Veterans

As the region's first neuropsychiatric hospital, the Leeds VA has focused on alternative types of therapy to treat veterans.

We started with that focus and that spirit continues, Kerr said.

Post-traumatic stress, then known as shell shock, was recognized medically after World War I, and mental health problems continue to plague those returning from war.

Among the therapeutic programs started at the Leeds VA was occupational therapy, which had patients working on the farm. Now, paid work programs help open up opportunities for future employment, Kerr said.

In addition to providing a full range of health care services in Leeds, the VA Hospital has opened community outreach clinics to cover Berkshire, Worcester and Franklin counties.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made a significant investment in building the Leeds campus in recent years.

This helps us refine our mission, Kerr said. We are excited about what the future holds for this campus.

Facilities Management Chief Thomas Dougan noted there will be a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for a new $13 million primary care and mental health treatment center, adding 5,000 square feet of new construction to an existing 10,000 square foot building.

Closure avoided

The campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, but it almost didn't reach its centennial. In March 2022, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to close the Leeds VA and either offer its services elsewhere or discontinue them.

A report from the VA Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission found significant facility maintenance issues on campus, as well as inefficiencies affecting services.

The announcement was met with significant resistance from the public, as well as from U.S. Representatives Jim McGovern and Richard Neal. Within months, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators voted to dismantle the AIR Commission and end its work.

Kerr said it makes a difference to have taxpayers and veterans speaking on behalf of the local VA.

That campus was the medical home for 23,000 veterinarians last year, he said. It is important to recognize that this campus serves not only central and western Massachusetts, but also all of New England and beyond.

James Pentland can be contacted at [email protected].