Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline: February 24, 2019

Working for the Sixth
This week marks six weeks since taking office as representative of Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District. In those six weeks, I have heard from thousands of Sixth District residents and have taken your views to Washington. More than 8,300 residents have contacted my office about legislation and concerns during the last six weeks, an impressive number which informs my work.

Hearing from you about legislative concerns is not the only work my office does on your behalf. Throughout the Sixth Congressional District, I have offices available to assist with federal agencies. Residents in need of assistance with an agency like the Social Security Administration, the VA, or other parts of our government may reach out to offices in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke, and Staunton for assistance. Since January 3, more than 180 requests for constituent casework have come in.

It is simple to contact my office. You may visit cline.house.gov and choose the “Contact” menu at the top of the page or you may call any of my five offices in Washington and Virginia:
• Harrisonburg: (540) 432-2391
• Lynchburg: (434) 845-8306
• Roanoke: (540) 857-2672
• Staunton: (540) 885-3861
• Washington: (202) 225-5431

District Work Period
This week marks the first District Work Period of the 116th Congress. These periods give Members of Congress the opportunity to meet directly with residents and take those concerns back to Washington. That is exactly what I did this week.

I visited two healthcare providers during the district work period – Lynchburg General Hospital and the VA Medical Center in Salem. Centra’s Lynchburg General is a facility which serves an growing geographic footprint. Centra is both a driver of the local economy with more than 8,500 employees as well as the primary provider of healthcare for much of the Lynchburg region.
One area where Centra has placed an emphasis is providing healthcare and support to the less fortunate in the community. It recently opened the Fifth Street Health Center in downtown Lynchburg, a facility which is providing health services to those in need. The clinic provides a variety of services beyond healthcare to address the needs of its patients, including laundry services and much more. It was refreshing to hear about this new facility and Centra’s mission to serve all patients in our region regardless of their ability to pay.

Though just outside the Sixth District, I was able to visit with providers and patients at the VA Medical Center in Salem which provides care for Sixth District veterans. There, I got a firsthand view of the care provided to our region’s retired servicemen and women. Those who served our country put service above self and made incredible sacrifices in the name of freedom. I want to make sure they are provided the care they deserve and have earned.

Congressman Ben Cline visits VA Medical Center in Salem which provides care for Sixth District veterans.

While in Lynchburg, I also held a town hall where I had a chance to meet with the city’s citizens. About 60 people turned out for this week’s event and I appreciate everyone’s participation. Events like this allow me to hear your concerns and take those back to Washington. More town hall events will take place in the coming weeks and months. They will be announced at facebook.com/RepBenCline and at cline.house.gov.

Service Academy Day
If you are a high school student or know one who is interested in attending one of our nation’s service academies, consider attending the upcoming Service Academy Day in Lynchburg.

Representatives from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy will be on hand to give you information on applying and answer questions about the process. An education at a service academy prepares students for service as military officers at no cost to the student. In fact, a service academy education is valued at more than $400,000 over four years!

The Service Academy Day will take place March 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Heritage High School in Lynchburg. I hope you are able to attend. For more information, contact my Lynchburg office at (434) 845-8306.

Thank you for the privilege to serve as your representative in Congress.