By Joseph Bustos

A veterans clinic for the Sauk Valley needs approval from two Veterans Affairs officials before becoming a reality, U.S. Rep. Phil Hare told Sauk Valley Newspapers' editorial board Thursday.

VA Undersecretary Michael Kussman, who is in charge of health affairs, could make a decision by December, the Rock Island Democrat said.

"I hope to be able to call you at the end of the year, or shortly after the first of the new year, to tell you we're good to go," Hare said. "I think it will be great for this community.

"I don't want to get expectations too high, but I'm an eternal optimist here."

If Kussman and his boss, VA Secretary James Peake, sign off, money to open a clinic could be here next October, he said.

CGH Medical Center has bought the former Readel-Wells dental clinic, across the street from the hospital, in hopes of making it the VA clinic.

It would cost $5 million to $7 million to set up the clinic, which would provide checkups, blood work and other outpatient care. CGH would provide X-rays, CAT scans and other procedures now available only at VA facilities such as Iowa City, Iowa, or Madison, Wis.

Hare, 59, who is running unopposed Nov. 4, has been lobbying for a veterans clinic for the area for more than a year.