LORAIN, OH—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (OH-13) joined veterans in Lorain today to celebrate a deal that will save the St. Joseph Community Center. St. Joseph Community Center houses a Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic, classes for Lorain County Community College, and local constituent offices for Brown and Sutton, among other facilities.
“The St. Joseph Community Center serves as a cornerstone of the Lorain community, providing important services to the residents of northeast Ohio,” Brown said. “The closure of this center would surely have meant that our veterans would have had to travel farther to get the care they need. I’m grateful to Representative Sutton, Governor Strickland, and Mayor Krasienko for their hard work in saving St. Joe’s.”
“This is an example of what we can do when we work together with common vision and leadership on behalf of our community,” said Rep. Sutton. “This is another step in strengthening St. Joe’s for everyone that it serves.”
Earlier this year, the future of the center was in jeopardy, but with assistance from Brown, Sutton, Governor Ted Strickland, and Mayor Tony Krasienko, St. Joseph will remain operational for at least the next five years.
Brown has championed efforts to preserve and improve the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in central Lorain for the past 10 years. He has brought nearly $4 million in federal funding to the center since 2000 in order to bring services to the center and help revitalize downtown Lorain. As a member of the U.S. House, Brown worked with VA officials to expand the clinic at St. Joseph’s and opened his district office there in May 2003. He continues to operate a Senate office there today.
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