New, larger veterans clinic to open in Yuma

A new, larger Veterans Administration clinic will replace the current Yuma Community Based Outpatient Clinic in about 2-1/2 years to provide eligible veterans with more specialty care, the agency says.

The current clinic at 2555 E. Gila Ridge Road is 3,925 square feet and will be replaced by a larger clinic that will be 14,000 square feet, said Lonnie Siebrandt, acting assistant director for the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare system in Tucson.

Some of the specialists the new clinic will offer are a clinical pharmacist, audiologist, optometrist, physical therapist and a dietitian.

Siebrandt said VA anticipates the time frame for selecting a contractor through competitive bids, design of the clinic, site selection, construction and opening will be 2-1/2 years.

The clinic will also provide shut-in veterans with a home-based primary care service. A nurse practitioner, a social worker and a dietitian will visit veterans at home and provide some medical care to prevent trips to the clinic or hospital, said Linda Reynolds, an acting VA health care director in Tucson.

Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans will be assessed and a specialist on eligibility will be available on-site to educate them on their VA benefits.

Reynolds said that because the Yuma clinic is too small, the VA has been unable to provide more services and hire additional staff.

While the new clinic will offer an expanded range of services, Yuma still does not have a enough veterans to sustain a hospital here, Reynolds said.

Although there are 19,700 veterans in the Yuma area, not all of them go to the VA for care, she said. Only 3,700 veterans receive primary care at the Yuma clinic, Reynolds said.

Reynolds said Yuma does not have a VA hospital because it does not have enough veterans to sustain one.

A VA clinic differs from a VA hospital in that it provides only primary care services. Veterans requiring more specialized care are forced to visit to a VA hospital. The nearest VA hospitals are in Phoenix, San Diego and Tucson.

Veterans can be seen at any VA facility in the nation, but the VA may not be able to pay for their lodging or travel to the facility.

Because the current Yuma VA clinic is overseen by the Tucson VA hospital, veterans requiring specialty care are referred there. The VA provides a shuttle service for Yuma veterans who can't or don't want to travel by personal vehicle to the Tucson hospital.

Erv Harder is among the veterans who are calling for a facility in Yuma that can provide a greater range of care.

"We're in the hottest place in the country and we don't have a dermatologist," he said. "If I have to drive 500 miles for a 10-minute checkup, then something's not right."

The current Yuma-to-Tucson shuttle departs from Yuma around 4:30 a.m. on varying days, arrives at the Tucson VA hospital at 8:30 a.m., departs from Tucson between 1 and 3 p.m. and arrives back in Yuma between 5 and 7 p.m.

Harder said one of the reasons he takes the shuttle is he can't find a parking spot at the Tucson VA hospital.

"When there's no place to park, you can go 'round and 'round waiting for someone to leave so you can park. You begin to wonder if you're going to make it in time for your appointment."

Reynolds said the VA also is concerned about the parking problem at the Tucson hospital during certain times of the week. She said the opening of a new mental health building on the Tucson hospital complex in September should create additional parking areas.

Lorelei Winn, San Diego VA Healthcare System director of voluntary resources, said Yuma veterans who would rather go to the San Diego VA hospital can drive themselves to El Centro and ride with other veterans on the shuttle from El Centro to San Diego.

Eligible veterans must make reservations to ride on the shuttle to San Diego just like they do to ride on the shuttle to Tucson.

Winn said Yuma veterans wishing to establish an ongoing shuttle from either Yuma to San Diego or Yuma to Phoenix must have a van donated to the Yuma Disabled American Veterans. Then the Yuma DAV will have to get the van licensed by the VA of its choice so that the van's only purpose is to escort veterans to and from that particular VA hospital.

The VA hospital the DAV chooses will recruit and train a volunteer driver for the DAV shuttle.

Veterans who are unsure of their benefits and what they are entitled to should call the Eligibility and Enrollment Office at 1-520-792-1450.