TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The new Terre Haute Veterans Affairs clinic, set to open on Monday, Dec. 20, is aiming to make healthcare more convenient to local veterans.
On Monday, Dec. 6, members of the media were able to take a look inside the facility that has been two years in the making from renderings to reality. In December of 2019, we first reported about a large VA clinic coming to 12 acres on the east side of Terre Haute behind Walmart.
During the last 24 months, we’ve watched as worked poured the foundation and set beams. Now, the clinic is ready to open.
“Veterans in the Terre Haute Vigo County area certainly deserve enhanced veterans services,” Laura Ruzick, executive director of Veteran Health Indiana, said.
Ruzick said the new clinic will provide the same primary care and mental health services that about 7,600 veterans currently receive in Terre Haute, but it will also offer other services such as physical therapy, radiology, optometry, audiology and a pharmacy. She also said it can increase the number of patients served to 10,000.
“This clinic is long overdue,” Ruzick said.
But building a large facility like this during the COVID-19 pandemic saw some supply chain issues.
“We’re still going through some challenges with furniture, but we’ve made the decision,” Julie Webb, project manager, said. “It’s so important to open this clinic, we’re going to do some alternative plans.”
Webb said some of the furniture currently in the clinic will eventually be replaced with more permanent pieces. Despite any setbacks the project manager said the overall goal was to create a warm and inviting place for veterans.
“We’re going to make it work,” Webb said. “We’re going to make it a great place for veterans.”
“We’re all about making sure veterans get preventive healthcare so they don’t have to be in the hospital, so they don’t have to have chronic disease or their chronic disease states need to be managed locally,” Ruzick said. “I think they’ll take better care of themselves and we can take better care of them.”
You can learn even more about the clinic by taking part in a virtual town hall meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9. To join the webinar, visit the Indianapolis VA’s Facebook page.
Veterans looking for healthcare assistance from the clinic can register online here.
