Vets home sees leadership changes

BARSTOW • The Veteran’s Home of Barstow is seeing changes to their top leadership as they wait for a replacement home administrator and say goodbye to their skilled nursing administrator, officials report.

A new administrator will be appointed over the veteran’s home hopefully by the summer, said J.P. Tremblay, deputy secretary for communications and legislation for the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Tremblay explained he could not guarantee when the appointment would come as it’s up to the governor to appoint veteran’s home administrators.

Interim Administrator Art Robles said he’s been managing the position part-time since he retired as administrator in Dec. 2011 while the search continues for his replacement.

Former Skilled Nursing Administrator Jeff Aronson said he was told earlier in the month he would not be reappointed to his position. His last day was Jan. 8.

Tremblay said his department is evaluating whether or not they will fill the skilled nursing position. If the future home administrator has a skilled nursing license, there may not be a need to fill Aronson’s vacant position. Robles said before Aronson the home did not have a skilled nursing position in the 11 years he had been there.

Veteran’s home resident Glen Thevenot said he had no complaints about either Robles or Aronson. In the six years he’s lived at the home he really hasn’t had an issue with any of the staff or administrators.

“This is a good facility,” Thevenot said. “They’d do anything to help you here.”

Thevenot said he realizes many of the residents wouldn’t agree with him. He said he sympathizes with how difficult the job can be for staff, especially as some residents are impossible to please.

“Some people, if you fed ‘em with a silver spoon they still wouldn’t be happy,” Thevenot said.

Leadership changes are not something new to the veterans home, Robles said. He estimated he’s seen about 10 new administrators in the years he’s worked at the home. He explained that as appointees of the governor they are told they can lose their jobs with little notice as they “work at the pleasure of the governor.”

“We go through this almost every time when there’s a new governor,” Robles said. “I’ve seen some real good administrators let go. It’s not unusual.”

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