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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida) today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has chosen a facility in Marianna to house the new community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in Jackson County. The veterans’ clinic will be located on U.S. Highway 90, just east of the State Road 71 intersection, at the former medical practice of Dr. Robert Hoff. The VA has entered into a lease agreement with the new owner, and the renovations will begin soon. The VA hopes to have the facility operational and accepting patients by late spring. Within the next several weeks, the VA will begin the recruitment process for the approximately 20 employment positions at the clinic.
“I am excited that the opening of the veterans’ clinic in Jackson County is moving forward and will soon be available for our veterans,” said Congressman Boyd. “Veterans in Jackson County and surrounding areas have traveled too far, for too long, to get the healthcare they need and deserve, and the new clinic will ensure that North Florida’s veterans have more convenient access to proper medical care.”
“The Marianna CBOC will be a welcome addition to the quality healthcare facilities available within the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System,” said Thomas A. Cappello, FACHE, Director. “We are looking forward to being a part of this great community and to bringing healthcare closer to where our veterans live.”
Since 2004, Congressman Boyd has been working with the VA to move forward with the plans for a CBOC in Jackson County. In 2006, Congressman Boyd brought former VA Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, to Marianna so that he could meet with local officials and talk about plans for the CBOC in Jackson County.
“With over 75,000 veterans in North Florida, I have been working for some time to demonstrate to the VA the immediate need for a veterans’ clinic in Jackson County,” Boyd stated. “Our veterans need healthcare services closer to their homes, and this new facility will do just that.”
Currently, veterans in Jackson County and surrounding areas must travel to Panama City, Tallahassee, Lake City, Pensacola, or Biloxi, Mississippi, for their healthcare needs. The VA anticipates that 3,574 existing patients and 310 new patients will be treated at the CBOC in Jackson County, which was among 38 clinics approved in 22 states by VA Secretary James Nicholson in 2007.
The Jackson County CBOC was included in the VA Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) decision in 2004. The CARES decision is a strategic plan to provide quality, accessible healthcare to our veterans. The CARES decision addressees the changing demographics and the aging infrastructure that plagues the VA healthcare system. Once complete, it will allow the VA to provide essential healthcare for veterans now and for those in the future.
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