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MARIANNA, FL—Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida), a veteran of Vietnam, celebrated the impending opening of the new veterans’ clinic in Marianna, Florida, at a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony held today. The new community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in Jackson County will begin taking applications and scheduling patients for future appointments beginning June 5 and will open for full services mid-June.
In January, the VA announced that the location for the CBOC in Jackson County would be at a former medical practice office building located at 4970 Highway 90, just east of the State Road 71 intersection.
“I am proud of this new veterans’ clinic, but more than that, I am proud of the veterans it will serve,” said Congressman Boyd. “Our veterans deserve the best care we can provide, as close to them as we can provide it. With over 75,000 veterans in North Florida, this new veterans’ clinic really is an extraordinary victory for our veterans.”
Veterans who have not previously enrolled for care in VA will be seen first. Patients currently being seen by a VA provider who wish to transfer their care to the Marianna CBOC are asked to continue to see their current provider. These veterans will be added to a waiting list and will be worked in for appointments after the newly enrolled veterans are seen.
The clinic will be a primary care facility that also can provide mental health services, treat chronic diseases, and perform wellness screenings. The VA anticipates that about 4,000 veterans, both new and existing, will be served at the Marianna CBOC.
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.
“We have an obligation to the men and women who have served and defended our country,” Boyd stated. “This new veterans’ clinic in Marianna will ensure that North Florida’s deserving veterans have convenient access to proper medical care, and the opening of the clinic in mid June will be an exciting day for our veterans.”
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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