Rep. John Barrow Announces the Opening of Veterans Outreach Clinic in Statesboro
(Statesboro, GA) At the American Legion Post located at 100 Rucker Lane this afternoon, Congressman John Barrow held a press conference announcing that the Department of Veterans Affairs has approved the opening of a Veterans Outreach Clinic in Statesboro, GA.
“After years of working with local veterans to advocate for the approval of a Veterans Outreach Clinic in Statesboro, I am happy to report that the Department of Veterans Affairs has approved,” Barrow said. “As the population in Statesboro continues to grow, the need for a local VA clinic grows even more urgent.”
In response to Congressman Barrow’s repeated efforts to open a clinic in Statesboro, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the opening of the Statesboro Outreach Clinic in a September 2nd letter to Barrow. In addition, the letter gave a timeline of 12-18 months before the clinic opens and affirmatively stated that the Statesboro Outreach Clinic will offer on-site primary care and mental health services. Also from the letter:
“Veterans Integrated Service Network 7 has moved forward with plans to initiate a proposal for an outreach clinic. On August 4, the Deputy Under Secretary for Health Operations and Management approved the request submitted by the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (VAMC) to establish an outreach clinic in Statesboro, Georgia.
“The Statesboro Outreach Clinic will offer on-site primary care and mental health services. The Clinic also will provide patient aligned care teams, rural health, and telehealth initiatives to include specialty and acute mental health services. The clinic’s hours of operation will be from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 4 days a week. The goal is to open the clinic within the next 12-18 months.”
“It is key for members of Congress to get out into the community, walk the ground veterans walk, see what veterans and our wounded warriors see, and understand from a boots-on-the-ground perspective what warriors and veterans experience every day,” said Jim Lorraine, Executive Director of the Augusta Warrior Project. “I applaud all our representatives who take the time to become educated on veterans issues and then take action to improve the system.”
The Statesboro Clinic will formally be part of the Charlie Norwood VMAC in Augusta, GA. The physical location of the clinic is yet to be announced.
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Contact: Doug Moore, 202-225-2823 (office), 404-433-5561 (cell)