Nicholson: Better Access to World-Class Care
WASHINGTON — To provide easier access for Guam’s veterans to the world-class health care of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department has announced plans to construct a new, $5.4 million clinic on the periphery of the island’s naval hospital.
“Since World War II, the young men and women of Guam have served in every conflict that has confronted his nation, including the Global War on Terror,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “This new facility is tangible proof of our determination to honor our commitment to those veterans.”
The plan approved by Nicholson calls for a 6,000 square-foot outpatient clinic next to the grounds of the naval hospital, with its own parking area. Patients will not have to pass through Navy security to get to the facility. The new clinic is scheduled to open in the summer of 2009.
The new outpatient clinic replaces the existing 2,700 square-foot VA clinic at the naval hospital. VA will still partner with the naval facility for emergency and after-hours health care, acute inpatient care and some specialty services.
About 9,000 veterans live on the island. The existing clinic employs a staff of 11, including an internal medicine physician, psychiatrist and nurse practitioner. It provides primary care, mental health care, limited specialty services and physical examinations for VA’s compensation and pension benefits.
During the Vietnam War, Guam had more casualties per capita than any state in the Union. Since 1989, VA has operated a clinic at the naval hospital. Residents receive about $15 million annually in VA disability compensation and pensions, plus home loan guarantees, educational assistance, vocational assistance and other VA programs.
With 155 hospitals and more than 700 community-based outpatient clinics, VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the country. VA’s health care budget of more than $34 billion this year will provide health care to about 5.5 million people during nearly 800,000 hospitalizations and 60 million outpatient visits.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
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