Secretary Nicholson: World-Class Care Accessible to More Veterans
WASHINGTON -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson recently approved the expansion of health care services and a new facility for veterans in Lewiston, Idaho.
“By opening for longer hours and improving the range of available services, we are making VA’s world class health care more accessible for veterans,” Nicholson said. “These improvements will allow veterans to receive more timely care from primary care providers closer to home in Lewiston.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates a community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in 750 square feet of rented space in Lewiston. The parent facility for the Lewiston CBOC is the VA medical center in Walla Walla, Wash., about 110 miles from Lewiston.
About 1,700 veterans from a four-county area surrounding Lewiston traveled to VA’s Walla Walla facility for health care last year. In order to improve access to primary care and primary mental health care for those patients, VA will relocate the clinic into a larger space with approximately 3,500 square feet. and extend hours from two days per month to a full five day, 40 hours per week operation.
The expanded space will accommodate a primary care team, a primary mental health provider and support staff. Mental health services would include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse group clinics.
With Secretary Nicholson’s approval, VA’s Walla Walla medical center can now begin the lease acquisition process. A completion date has not been set.
