YAKIMA – The secretary of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs has approved a proposal to build a new veterans outpatient health clinic in north central Washington, members of the state’s congressional delegation said Thursday.
Veterans groups have been lobbying for a central Washington clinic for years. Veterans in the region currently are limited to a visit by a mobile clinic from Spokane once a month, or they must travel 150 miles or more to Seattle or Spokane for health care. Those visits also often entail a wait of as long as a year for an initial appointment.
Federal officials estimate about 25,000 veterans from a six-county area will be served by the clinic. The clinic is expected to be operating by late this year or early 2007.
“Today is a great day for the veterans of north central Washington,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement. “These brave men and women have waited far too long for access to the care they were promised by our grateful nation.”
A 2003 bill required the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a plan for meeting the future hospital needs of veterans in the region. The department finalized a business plan for the new clinic in January, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson signed off on the proposal this week.
“His signoff signifies a big step forward in making this clinic a reality and it’s great news for our local veterans who deserve hometown health care,” Republican U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings said in a statement.
Hastings’ office said the VA business plan estimates the first-year cost of the clinic at $4 million, including $1.1 million in nonrecurring activation costs.
The new clinic will offer outpatient primary and mental health care for veterans in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Kittitas and Okanogan counties. The clinic, to be operated by the Spokane VA Medical Center in a leased space, likely will be located in or near Wenatchee.
Federal officials estimate the clinic could expect 10,000 visits in its first year.
Local officials cheered the news Thursday.
“Knowing how hard it is for some of our veterans to get to Seattle or Spokane, it’s welcome news. It’s been a long time coming,” said Cathy Mulhall, Chelan County administrator.
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