Clinic in Ark. to bring VA closer to home for rural veterans | Community Spirit

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - The John J. Pershing Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Poplar Bluff announced Tuesday a patient outreach clinic has been approved for Pocahontas, Ark.

According to the VAMC, the new facility will help provide high-quality health care to Veterans living in Pocahontas and the surrounding counties in northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. The outreach clinic will operate initially as a part-time facility, providing primary care and mental health services two days per week.  Services will be provided on station and through state-of-the-art telemedicine technology. 

In addition to the Pocahontas Outreach Clinic, the VAMC manages full-time Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Cape Girardeau, Farmington, Sikeston, Salem, and West Plains, Mo. and Paragould, Ark., and one outreach clinic in Salem, Mo. With the new outreach clinic in Pocahontas, officials expect to be well prepared to serve more than 1,200 Veterans living in Randolph and Lawrence counties of rural Arkansas. 

The VAMC says their primary goal for locating an outreach clinic in Pocahontas, Ark. is to increase access and improve healthcare services to Veterans in rural northeastern Arkansas and Southeastern Missouri, where travel is oftentimes difficult. The new outreach clinic in Pocahontas will enable VA to accomplish the notable goal of providing vital healthcare services to our nation’s Veterans in a state-of-the-art facility that is closer to home. 

John J. Pershing VAMC Director, Marjorie Hedstrom said:

“I am so pleased that we have received approval to open a clinic in Pocahontas.  Strengthening our network of clinics allows us to meet the health care needs of even more Veterans, as we pursue our mission of providing the best care for America’s heroes. Given the rural character of southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas, these clinics provide invaluable services to our Veterans while reducing or eliminating the need for travel in order to receive those services. We hope our Veterans will enjoy the convenience of a clinic in Pocahontas.” 

Officials expect the 3,000 square-foot facility to open sometime in 2013.

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