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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's veterans' hospital got a visit Tuesday from the U.S. Secretary of Veteran's Affairs.
Secretary Eric Shinseki is visiting Utah as part of a tour of the western states. It was his first visit to Utah since his appointment by President Obama in December 2008.
Shinseki said Utah's geography presents challenges for veterans across the state who live in rural areas and can't get the medical attention they need.
Shinseki announced a new rural health director, who has experience in Native American health services. That experience, he said, will be of particular importance to Utah's vets.
"We want to ensure there's a level playing field here, that a veteran that lives in a highly-rural area and a veteran that lives in Washington, D.C., will have the same kind of access," Shinseki said.
The secretary will be in Utah only one day before he continues the rest of his tour.
E-mail: jstagg@ksl.com
