An Air Force veteran has been named as the administrator for the Brigadier General Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home in Clarksville, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs.
TDVA Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder and Tennessee State Veterans Home Executive Director Ed Harries announced their selection of Warren Anthony Jasper to head the 108-bed State Veterans Home currently under construction in Clarksville.
“It has been exciting to watch the first Tennessee State Veterans Home constructed using the new duplex model which is designed to make the residents feel more at home,” Grinder said. “Warren will put together a staff that will offer compassionate and highly qualified care.”
Jasper served seven years in the United States Air Force, which included assignments at the Pentagon and as a Branch Chief with the Secretary of Defense studying electronic warfare with the Joint Test Force. The former Air Force officer most recently served as an Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
Jasper and his wife, Pamela, have two children, Christian and Olivia.
Speaking to The Leaf-Chronicle by phone on Thursday, Jasper said he was looking forward to reestablishing a relationship with the Clarksville area that began when his father served in the Army here at Fort Campbell.
“I’m very familiar with Clarksville,” said Jasper, who said that the area’s well-known support for veterans would make his job much easier.
“As excited as Clarksville is to be getting this home established,” Jasper said, “I’m just as excited to be coming to Clarksville.
“We want the veterans home to be a seamless and integral part of the community, and we we will work to make it a warm and welcoming place for our veterans.”
Currently, Jasper is serving in a temporary assignment in Murfreesboro while awaiting the move.
Jasper practiced law for more than 20 years and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, a Master’s Degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University.
Five-Star system
During his time at the Attorney General’s Office, Jasper established relationships with several state agencies and also started a partnership with the Tennessee State Veterans Homes in 2008.
“Warren has consistently offered wise counsel and prudent judgment in guiding us through the process of transforming the Tennessee State Veterans Homes into five star facilities,” Harries said in Thursday’s press release. “His extensive knowledge of our commitment to quality healthcare for our residents will ensure the future home offers the quality of life our veterans deserve.”
Speaking to The Leaf-Chronicle, Harries said that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had just given the state’s Humboldt Veterans Home a five-star rating, meaning all homes in the system have now achieved the rating.
“And when the Clarksville home opens,” said Harries, “it will also be five-star rated. We’re excited because outside monitors have rated us with the best-of-the-best caregivers across the state.”
No firm date yet
The Brigadier General Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home is expected to open in the spring of 2015.
No hard and firm date has been chosen yet for either the grand opening or open house events. And despite rumors to the contrary, the waiting list process for applicants doesn’t start until January, according to Harries.
“We haven’t accepted anyone yet, even provisionally,” Harries said.
First, an applicant will have to qualify as needing nursing home care. And even those who get on the waiting list and have a number can be bumped if the VA hospital system identifies a patient as needing urgent nursing home care.
“By law, we have to prioritize it that way,” said Harries. “Also, because we’ll be starting up a new facility with a new staff, we won’t be able to take complex cases initially. For example, people with extreme behaviors; this won’t be the best environment for them.”
Harries said a press release detailing the waiting list and acceptance process will be forthcoming. The Leaf-Chronicle will publish the details as soon as they become available.
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