THVC

Thomson-Hood Veterans Center (THVC) opened 18 August 1991 in Wilmore, Kentucky. The 285-bed facility provides long-term skilled nursing care for Kentucky's veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States. Click here for images of the facility.

Eligibility for Admission - Must be a veteran with an other than dishonorable discharge and a resident of Kentucky prior to submitting an application. Click here for an application for admission. [PDF 78K]

THVC Veterans Remember Pearl Harbor

In advance of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, several resident veterans remember where they were and how it affected them.

Billie Hendren

She turned on the TV saw the report about Pearl Harbor and ran out of the house to the barn and told all of her family. Horrified when she heard about it, her brother was in the Navy during the attack. Her mother wrote letters to everyone she knew in the service every week after the attack. Her family was shocked at the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Paul Slusher

Heard the news over the radio after roller skating. He was upset, he knew we would have to retaliate. He joined the force that same day. His family was proud of him. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor shortly after.

William Wells

Heard the news while he was hunting turkeys with his uncle they heard it on the radio. He remembers his uncle saying that he would be in the war because it would be a long war and he was 16 years old. His family tried to learn as much as they could. It was hard getting information about the war. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor shortly after the attack, he remembers being scared when he saw all the damage. He was drafted when he was 18.

Martin Noger

Mr. Noger was at his father's restaurant in Hazard, Ky. After he heard the news he wanted to join the Army. He joined in 1944.

Michael Fernand

Family was worried because he was about to go into the service. He learned about it while he was at home in San Antonio. He entered the service in April 1942.

Matthew Kennedy

He was in Texas working on airplanes when he found out . Heard the news on the radio, he was very sad. His brother was in Ireland in the service at the time of the attack and so he was very worried.

Paul Parrott

He heard about the attack while he was on his farm. He joined the military in December 1942. The attack made him want to go into the service when he was 17, because he wanted to help.

Eugene Turner

He was in school when he heard about it, they announced it over the intercom and everyone went crazy. He went into the service 6 months later.

Nettie “June” Dumas

She was in boot camp when she heard. Everyone was reserved, sad and concerned.

Veterans Day Day at THVC

THVC honored its veterans beginning 11:11 a.m. on November 11. The Tabernacle Baptist Church presented a special program featuring Shawn Smith, Lee Watts, (KY State Government Chaplain, US Air Force, Iraq War Veteran) R. J. Morelli Assistant Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church Choir led by Tim Morrison and Dr. Evertie Moore, (Former Missionary, US Army, Korean War Veteran).

On Saturday, Nov. 12, resident veterans rode in the the Wilmore Veterans Day Parade, which began at 10 am and concluded at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center for a Veterans Day Ceremony at 11:11. 

The Featured Guest was Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Barbara Bolt, Assistant Administrator at THVC.  LTC Bolt served in the Army as a nurse for 20 years and had many assignments from community hospitals to Medical Centers.  She retired from Fort Belvoir, Virginia and received the legion of Merit Medal.

Photo Gallery here.

We offer a wide array of important services for the convenience, comfort and well being of our veterans. These include: primary care physician on site, 24-hour nursing care, physical therapy in house, pharmaceutical services, chaplain services, gift shop, daily activities, arts and crafts, library on site, and one wing designated for dementia/Alzheimer's disease.

Click here for images of the facility.

View photo galleries of THVC residents receiving long-overdue medals:

Gallery One

Gallery Two

Resident Information - Our resident information guide provides many details concerning life at our nursing home. Click here to view the resident information guide [PDF 223K]

For employment information and more details about THVC, click here for the facility's website.

Residents are charged a reasonable fee per month based upon the veteran's assets and income. Email the Admission Manager for details.

Thomson-Hood Veterans Center
100 Veterans Drive
Wilmore, Kentucky 40390

Office: (859) 858-2814
Toll Free: (800) 928-4838
TTYS: (859) 858-4226

THVC 20th Anniversary

Kentucky’s First Veterans Center

THVC has served more than 2,000 veterans since 1991

It was something completely new and different for Kentucky: a skilled nursing facility dedicated to serving those who have served in this nation’s military.

Twenty years later, the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center (THVC) in Wilmore celebrated its anniversary on June 25 with a special program for residents, families, veterans, and everyone who appreciates them.

Governor Steve Beshear supports the efforts at THVC and honoring service men and women, as well as the families who have been affected by loved ones who have served.

“I always want us to remember those brave men and women and keep them in our prayers, keep them in our thoughts, keep their families in our thoughts and prayers because they cannot do their jobs if they don’t have support from families,” Gov. Beshear said.

The program began with Marty Pinkston, former KDVA Deputy Commissioner, singing the National Anthem and Doyle Rambo’s Southland Dixie Land Band performing. Dean Cook provided the invocation and the 138th Fire Brigade posted colors. The keynote speaker was Congressman Ben Chandler.

Kentucky Governor Wallace Wilkinson broke ground for the state’s first veterans nursing home on Sept. 16, 1989. Originally named Kentucky Veterans Center, it was renamed in 1998 to honor two people who were instrumental in establishing the facility – George B. Thomson, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and Beatrice Elizabeth Greenwell Hood, the first administrator of the Kentucky Veterans Center and the person who oversaw construction.

THVC admitted its first resident on Aug. 26, 1991. There are currently 373 active employees at THVC.  Thirteen of them have worked there since the first resident walked in.  One of them is Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) Rebecca (Becky) Burton.

“I was hired Jan. 16, 1991 while I was in the Midway RN program,” Burton said. “I was one of the first scholarship recipients to provide RNs for the facility’s nursing staff. These residents are in two special categories to me:  the elderly and veterans.  I am grateful to THVC for affording me the opportunity to work with these favored groups as I earn my living. I have always been and still am proud to tell people where I work and what I do.  I am now one of the two ADONs at THVC thanks to advancement opportunities within the facility.”

Office Support Assistant, Jeannie Carr,  agrees with Burton about her time at THVC.

“I was in the first nursing assistant class taught at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. The nurse who hired me told me later that she didn’t think I would like being a nursing assistant, and she wasn’t expecting me to stay. Here I am almost 20 years later. I feel blessed to have worked and cared for so many wonderful American heroes in those years. They have blessed and enriched my life in so many ways.”

Nurse Trudy Cruse has served THVC since 1991, and is a 20-year veteran at the facility.

“I was a young, new nurse. I have always had great respect for the veterans and count it an honor to help care for them. Each veteran I have cared for through the years has left an impression on me and helped shaped me as a person and most certainly as a nurse,” she said.

In 20 years, THVC has taken care of 2,308 veterans, both men and women. They have come from virtually every county of the state, have ranged in age from 35 to 105, have served in every conflict from World War II on, have served in every branch of the service, and have represented every race and religion.

“Our veterans selflessly served our country and fought for our freedoms,” Congressmen Ben Chandler said. “Now that they have come home, it is time we fight for them.  Thomson-Hood has been doing just that in the Commonwealth for two decades, and I hope they continue for decades to come.”

The biggest change in its 20-year history was a major renovation in 2003.  The special care unit (the Eisenhower Unit), which serves veterans suffering from various kinds of dementia, was moved from the second floor to the ground floor. This allowed Eisenhower residents to enjoy the outdoors in a secure enclosed courtyard.  The renovation also built a new kitchen and craft room for Eisenhower and a new kitchen and staff training room for the rest of the facility.

“THVC sets the standard for nursing home care of veterans and all of our seniors,” said Ken Lucas, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. “It has done so for 20 years, and I expect it will always be a first-class facility.”

Gov. Beshear said THVC is a proud part of Kentucky’s vast military history.

“Kentucky has a lot of brave Kentucky men and women who are serving in our armed forces at the present time, and we have a wonderful Kentucky tradition of military service that goes back to the Revolutionary War.”

Note: Gov. Beshear has launched his “11-11-11” initiative to honor the Commonwealth’s loyal and brave men and women. Since Veterans’ Day is Nov. 11, 2011– or 11-11-11 – the Governor plans to highlight and honor Kentucky’s veterans and active duty service members over the next several months, leading up to a Veterans’ Day celebration at the State Capitol. To find out more about this initiative, visit www.governor.ky.gov.