WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Nearly eight months after a thunderstorm forced the relocation of the emergency room at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, it has returned to the Mountains Building and resumed operations last Friday.
Last May’s storm, which brought high winds and heavy rain to the Upper Valley, flooded the first floor of the Mountains Building, forcing the emergency department to move to the nearby Granite Building on the medical campus for the past several months.
The WRJ VA announced the emergency department’s return to its original location on social media Friday, expressing gratitude for the flexibility of those affected by the temporary change.
The relocation allowed the medical center to perform repairs. Though damage was contained to lower parts of the walls on the first floor of the Mountains Building, the repair work also involved implementing additional storm drainage piping to minimize the potential for future damage, Lynne Davis, a spokesperson with the White River Junction VA Healthcare System, said in an email.
The move had no effect on patient care, Davis said.
The medical center, located at at 163 Veterans Drive in White River Junction, provides a full range of health care services for veterans, while training young health care professionals and conducting medical research. The VA health care system based out of White River Junction provides various services to approximately 75,000 veterans, according to the system’s website.