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Murray Applauds Announcement of VA Clinic
Location
6-county area will be served by new Wenatchee
clinic
For Immediate Release:
Friday, December 8, 2006
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray today applauded the
Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) announcement of a location for a
new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in North Central
Washington. The new clinic, which Senator Murray has fought for as a key
member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, will provide primary
and mental health care for the 26,000 underserved veterans in Chelan,
Douglas, Ferry, Grant Kittitas and Okanogan counties.
"Thanksgiving is the perfect time to both thank and remember the brave
men and women who have served and sacrificed for our nation. I am
pleased that the VA has taken this opportunity to announce a location
for the new Wenatchee clinic and I am excited to move forward and
provide the local access to care that our veterans have been waiting on
for far too long," Senator Murray said.
Yesterday the Spokane VA Medical Center announced the new CBOC location:
2530 Chester Kimm Road
In the Confluence Building
Wenatchee, WA
Currently, veterans in the region are limited to a one-day-per-month
mobile clinic visits from the Spokane VA Medical Center's motor coach.
Local veterans with more serious problems or those who can't wait for
mobile clinics are forced to drive to either Seattle or Spokane for
care.
Senator Murray inserted language into the Veterans' Health Care, Capital
Asset, and Business Improvement Act of 2003 mandating the VA to "develop
a plan for meeting the future hospital needs of veterans who reside in
North Central Washington." When the VA failed to meet the deadline for
creating a plan, Murray threatened to hold up the confirmation of the
President's nominee to be the VA's Assistant Secretary for Congressional
Affairs until it was complete.
The new clinic is expected to be operational by the Spring of 2007.
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Larry Scott
