Petter Blindheim, the 94-year-old Norwegian Second World War veteran who has been making headlines since being rejected from a veterans’ long-term care facility, will finally be admitted into Camp Hill Veterans Memorial hospital in Halifax.
Blindheim, a decorated war veteran, was originally denied admittance to Camp Hill because he wasn’t considered an allied veteran. Then, Veterans Affairs denied his application on the grounds that he could receive adequate care at a provincial facility.
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Halifax MP Andy Fillmore’s office said Friday morning that they’ve confirmed Blindheim has been offered a bed at the hospital after an ongoing effort involving multiple levels of government.
“I really want to highlight the advocacy work of Mr. Blindheim’s family,” Fillmore told Global News.
“They did a wonderful job of drawing attention to the fact that these rules about how vets are placed have over time, really diverged from the needs that these vets have. The rules in some cases are 50 years old.”
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Blindheim’s family was prepared to appeal the federal government’s most recent decision, when they received the good news on Friday.
“It’s been a stressful year but the outcome is just fantastic. We’re very excited,” said his daughter, Karen Higgins.
“My mother is the primary caregiver along with some provincial home care and it will take a lot of stress off of her as she also has some chronic health conditions. So for the family, it’s just fantastic news.
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Higgins is also happy to hear her father’s fight will now help other veterans who may be in a similar situation.
In a statement, federal Minister of Veterans Affairs Kent Hehr said the department has reached an agreement with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to expand access for veterans at Camp Hill.
“The Veterans Health Care Regulations are not currently compassionate or flexible enough to address the urgent needs of our Veterans, so as we undertake a review to better address long term care needs, this measure will provide the flexibility necessary to help Veterans and their families,” Hehr said.
He added that since hearing about the plight of Blindheim and his family’s persistence to get him into the hospital, they’ve been working with the authority and members of parliament hard to find a solution.
“It just allows us to care for and provide service to a new group and cohort of veterans,” said Heather White, the director at Camp Hill Veterans Services.
“We will continue to provide the same quality of service that we do currently to the veterans who live here and we look forward to the opportunity to provide that care to this new group of veterans.”
Blindheim’s family says they plan to move him into the facility next Wednesday.
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