Commissioners sign contract with national department



A Veterans Affairs Clinic based in Lincoln County took a step closer to reality last week with the signing of an award letter and contract by the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners.

The clinic will be staffed by a VA physician and a VA mental health practitioner, and it will be open for appointments from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Office personnel will be available on Fridays to take calls and schedule appointments.

No opening date has been set, but VA officials had previously indicated they planned to begin operations within 60 days after the contract was signed.

Paula Sampson, Lincoln County Public Health director, told the county commissioners at their meeting last Wednesday that the VA clinic will be co-located with the county’s Lincoln Community Health Center in Newport, located just north of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in what is commonly referred to as the “1010 building” (at 1010 SW Coast Highway).

The original proposal submitted to the VA by the county last fall was to have the VA clinic operate two days in Newport and two days in Lincoln City each week. But when the VA looked at the demographics of Lincoln County, it was discovered that the majority of the potential clients are located in, and south of Newport. “The veterans service wanted it located where the bulk of the vets are,” said Sampson. “This was their decision to locate it in Newport, not ours.”

Jeff Davis, the county’s division director for primary care, has handled the negotiations with the VA. “Our goal of the outreach clinic is for veterans to have access to local care no matter where it is located in Lincoln County,” he said.

Sampson said the clinic will provide veterans with primary care and chronic disease management, but major conditions will still be treated at the Portland center. The Newport clinic will operate like a managed care organization, she said, receiving a certain number of dollars per month for each of the enrolled veterans. And since it is co-located with the Lincoln Community Health Center, they will be able to use some of the existing staff in both clinics.

John Reed, Lincoln County Veteran Services officer, was asked how many veterans live in Lincoln County who may take advantage of the clinic. “The census put us at 5,900 veterans in the county,” said Reed, “but I think that’s low. It’s probably twice that with the Iraq and Afghanistan vets. I believe the reaction is going to be almost overwhelming.”

Reed sees this clinic as “getting our foot in the door” for providing services locally, and he envisions an expanded facility that will offer even more in the future.

And there are many who have been eagerly awaiting the VA clinic here in the county. “When we first announced the possibility of getting a veteran clinic here two to two-and-a-half years ago, we were getting approximately 20 phone calls a week asking when, where,” said Reed.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to become part of the veterans satellite clinic services model in order to bring care closer to our veterans,” Sampson said.

Bill Hall, chair of the board of commissioners, added, “This has been a long, drawn out negotiation, and it’s not finished yet. But the end result will be worth it – improved access to medical services for the men and women who have served our country.”

A motion to award the contract was unanimously approved by the commissioners, and the contract was signed immediately following the meeting.