ONEONTA, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – The VA has moved its outpatient clinic in Bainbridge to Oneonta in an effort to reach more veterans.
The new clinic opened Monday inside the FoxCare Center off Main Street near Brooks Barbecue.
It’s a larger facility focused on primary care with additional opportunities to access specialty care through telehealth.
The clinic also offers mental health services, coronary artery stenting, robotic surgery and advanced endoscopy.
The move to Oneonta had been planned for several years but was opposed and delayed by Congress members Claudia Tenney and Anthony Brindisi.
Deputy Chief of Staff Doctor Gene Pellerin oversees the 10 community based outpatient clinics operated by the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center.
Pellerin says the new location is closer to a higher concentration of veterans in need of service within Otsego and Delaware Counties.
He adds that the FoxCare Center is on a bus line, close to an Interstate 88 exit and offers a number of support services such as a fitness center, pharmacy and cafe.
“A lot of positive responses. There was a lot of excitement from the veterans and local community leaders when they learned of our move here to Oneonta. There was a lot of positive feedback and we were excited to have the move.”
The clinic currently has 11 hundred veterans enrolled and is prepared for more, especially since a recent federal law authorized care for vets who were impacted by burn pits and other toxins.
The clinic has one physician available via telehealth, a social worker, a registered nurse and 2 LPN’s.
Pellerin says the new location helps the VA to achieve it’s goal of offering services within half an hour’s drive of every veteran.