Status of VA clinics focus of Mount Vernon meeting

BRANSON MO NEWS:

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Area veterans and residents can get an update on the status of plans to start a VA clinic in Joplin and move the Gene Taylor Community Based Outpatient Clinic from Mount Vernon to Springfield at a town hall meeting Tuesday.The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at The MARC, 822 W. Mount Vernon Blvd. in Mount Vernon, according to Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration.In addition to providing information about the clinics, officials of the health care system will answer questions and listen to input and concerns expressed by veterans and their families as well as representatives of veterans service organizations and others.
The Joplin clinic is to be located at 3015 S. Connecticut Avenue. It is to be 20,585 square feet in size and is under design currently, the agency said.Services to be available there are primary care, mental health, lab, radiology and hearing aid services including repair.The clinic is expected to serve about 7,000 veterans a year.The Springfield clinic will be about three times the size of the Joplin clinic at 68,000 square feet. It will be located at 1850 W.Republic St.

Relocation of the clinic was approved by Congress and listed in the 2012 federal budget.

The health care officials believe the Springfield location will bring about 9,000 veterans within a 30-minute drive of a place where they can receive primary care, the VA said.In addition to primary care, the Springfield clinic will offer services for mental health, audiology, dental care, endoscopy, eye care and an optical shop. It also will provide services for pathology and lab tests, prosthetics, pulmonary function, radiology and a sleep lab.Both clinics are expected to be ready to open in late 2018, the VA said.VA …