Brick Township needs you to #gotobatforvets for new VA facility

The Brick Township council is asking Jersey Shore residents to help them #gotobatforvets in a unified show of support to convince the Veterans Administration that they have the perfect location for a new clinic.

Brick Council President Lisa Crate says the current clinic located in the township is to small for veterans who live in Central and South Jersey.

"We feel that our veterans deserve a newer, bigger, better equipped clinic to use and we're working to make that happen," Crate told Townsquare Media News. "We have site plans all ready to go that line up with all of the V.A.'s qualifications for building a new clinic. We also have the perfect area for it and we're trying to work with our veterans organizations to show the V.A. that this is the place it should be built."

The proposed site for the V.A. Clinic in Brick runs along Route 88, Jack Martin Boulevard and Burrsville Road.

It can fit a 75,000 square foot building with more than 400 parking spaces.

This is something that the Brick Township Council and Mayor John Ducey are pushing for to help veterans in our area.

"It's our belief that our veterans deserve this new clinic and it's close to the one they already go to in Brick," Crate said.

They've been working for a couple years to pitch a proposal to the V.A. that they have the ideal site for a new, larger clinic that is a state of the art facility to help veterans in Ocean County and the surrounding areas be provided with treatment they would otherwise have to head to the northern part of the state to get.

"This new clinic will offer them some of the things that they now have to travel all the way to East Orange or Lyons for," Crate said. "This new clinic will offer epidurals, pain blockers and different tests that are currently unavailable in this area."

Now they need your help in coming together to show the V.A. that Brick, Ocean County is the spot for a new clinic to serve veterans in our community.

They've launched a couple online campaigns that you can take part in to help.

The first is an online petition you can sign which will go directly to the V.A. and can be found here.

The second involves your batting and social media skills.

"We're holding a #gotobatforvets challenge where we're asking families to get their bat and balls out and have someone pitch the ball to you and hit it or just toss it up and hit it and then just state that you're going to bat for vets to bring a V.A. clinic to Brick," Crate said. "It's a simple, fun challenge that you can do with your friends and family."

They have a Facebook and Instagram page you can post the video to with the hashtag #gotobatforvets and help build up support.

You can follow Vin Ebenau on Twitter and Instagram and email news tips to vin.ebenau@townsquaremedia.com.

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