Veterans Clinic Dedication

Bristol, Virginia

Friday, December 19, 2008

          One of my highest priorities in representing Southwest Virginia is ensuring the availability of high quality, easily accessible health care for our region's veterans.  To that end, I have worked successfully with the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to establish community-based outpatient clinics in communities throughout the Ninth District.  Today, we mark the formal opening of one such clinic here in Bristol.

          The new clinic in Bristol is the first VA-staffed outpatient treatment clinic in Southwest Virginia. When veterans clinics are established, the Veterans Administration has traditionally contracted with local primary care clinics to provide health care services.  The VA has chosen to provide services in Bristol directly rather than through a contract site. This clinic is dedicated to serving only veterans and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition to primary care, the clinic will also provide on-site mental health services.  Should a veteran require emergent X-ray or laboratory services, the VA has arranged for those services to be provided at Bristol Regional Medical Center.  The Veterans Administration will mail routine medications directly to veterans and will make arrangements for veterans to obtain any immediate medication needs at a local pharmacy.

          The provision of primary care to veterans in our outpatient clinics greatly enhances the ease with which our region's veterans can receive medical care.  The Veterans Administration maintains hospitals in Salem, Virginia, and in Johnson City, Tennessee.  The medical services provided through these hospitals are convenient for those Ninth District residents who reside within a short distance of one of the hospitals; however, for thousands of Ninth District veterans, a drive to one of the VA hospitals is anything but convenient. For residents in some portions of Southwest Virginia the drive to and from a VA hospital can consume the better part of a day.  During the winter months, the commute is even more difficult due to snow and ice which accumulates more rapidly on mountainous roads.

          The result of this inconvenience is that many veterans in the area simply forego receiving the primary medical are which promotes good health.  Consequently, when veterans eventually visit the VA hospital, they may have developed a serious condition which could have been prevented altogether through the earlier application of routine primary care.

          I have long suggested to the Veterans Administration that the provision of community-based primary care services is far more convenient for veterans and promotes better health among them than the current arrangement of requiring a drive to the VA hospitals to receive both primary and specialized care.   The provision of community-based services would save the Veterans Administration money in the long run by promoting good health and lessening the number of serious illnesses the VA will eventually be required to treat.

          I am pleased that the VA has responded to my suggestions and is now working to develop primary care, community-based outpatient clinics throughout our region.  The clinic we are dedicating today is the result of our combined efforts to better meet the needs of our region's veterans.

          The facility that we dedicate today is approximately 8,000 square feet in size with twelve examination rooms which is designed to serve up to 5,000 veterans, both group and individual rooms for mental health treatment, and an EKG room.  In the future the clinic will be equipped to provide telemedicine services allowing veterans to be examined remotely by specialists at other VA facilities.  Currently the clinic has a total of seven employees, including a physician, a physician's assistant, two LPN's and two RN's.

          In addition to the health care services which veterans receive at the clinic, space has been designated for veterans service organizations to assist veterans with applications for other benefits for which veterans may be entitled.

          A veteran seeking to use the Bristol VA clinic may place a call to a hotline established at the VA hospital in Johnson City to have his primary care treatment transferred to the clinic.  The toll free number for the hotline is 1-877-573-3529.  The VA Hospital will make the initial appointment for veterans utilizing this service.  The veterans themselves will schedule their follow-up appointments with the clinic.

          I am pleased to report that as of today, the clinic has enrolled 1700 veterans and requests for care are received by the VA daily.

          President-elect Obama made several stops in Southwest Virginia during the Summer and Fall. One such visit was here in Bristol where he made a point to express his support for increasing the community-based physical and mental health treatment of our veterans.  I look forward to working with President-elect Obama to further our mutual goal.

          The clinics which have been established throughout the Ninth District are making it possible for our region's veterans to receive quality health care within their communities with the cost of the care being borne by the Veterans Administration.

          Several individuals deserve our thanks today, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize them.

          I want to express my appreciation to Charlene Ehret, Director of the VA Medical Center at Johnson City, who has assisted me in advocating for the placement of community-based clinics in the region.

          I'd also like to thank John Dandridge, Director of the Mid-South Healthcare Network for his support.

          Dr. David Reagan, Chief of Staff, and Dr. Peter Torok, Associate Chief of Staff for Community Care, are to be commended for their commitment to providing high quality health care to our nation's veterans.

          I also want to thank Laura Lee, my Deputy Chief of Staff, for her persistence in working with the Veterans Administration toward the establishment of our community-based outpatient clinics for veterans.

          Finally, I want to congratulate the veterans of this region who are benefitting from the primary care services which are being offered in their communities.  A debt of gratitude is owed by our nation to all veterans.  Once our armed forces have completed their service, we have a responsibility to our veterans to ensure that they have the best medical care in a convenient setting.  Today, we dedicate this facility to those men and women who have made great sacrifices and taken great risks in order to preserve our nation's freedoms.