VA Community Clinic Opens in Ottumwa, Iowa

After almost 10 years of waiting, southeast Iowans welcomed primary care and other patient services to their part of the state. No longer will veterans have to drive nearly 100 miles for care.

In the not-too-distant past, health care for former service members was provided through large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals located throughout the U.S.. That began to change as the VA started opening community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCSs) in the early 1990s. Though treatment was generally limited to primary care and sometimes mental health services, these were the services most vets used most often, and having access close to home was a big advantage.

Iowa has two large VA complexes, one in Iowa City (eastern Iowa) and another in Des Moines (central). Until October 2010, there were 12 outpatient clinics in the state, but none in southeast Iowa. That changed with the opening of the Ottumwa CBOC, which had its ribbon cutting on Oct. 22, 2010, and will begin seeing patients on Oct. 28.

On hand to greet the public and the center's new staff were Barry Sharp, Director of the Iowa City VA Hospital; John Cowdery, Medical Director; Joe Mulcahy, Chair of the Wapello County Veterans Affairs Commission and Dan Hoy, staff member; Mayor Dale Uehling; Congressman Dave Loebsack; and, most important, 200 area residents, many of them veterans and their families.

Even given the commitment of the VA and the community's desire to have the clinic, it would not have been where it is or opened when it did without the actions of several community members.

Dr. Paul Scott, who founded the Ottumwa Clinic (a large medical complex with a mix of primary care and specialist physicians) and developers Marty Helgerson and Jim Vogt got together to respond to the VA's request for proposal and brought the CBOC to completion. It opened less than one year after the groundbreaking, no small feat given a harsh winter and a summer of heavy rains.

Complements Other Local Services to Veterans

Wapello County, like the other 98 in Iowa, has a Veterans Affairs Commission comprising volunteers. Wapello's is headed by Joe Mulcahy, who is also the local Disabled American Veterans commander. The county's services to veterans are handled through an office staffed by Dan Hoy, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, who can be reached at 641-684-8079 or wapelloveterans@pcsia.net. As a county employee, Hoy is also under the Wapello County Board of Supervisors.

The county office provides a link to the VA's services by helping veterans and family members apply for benefits. It also makes available information on a range of other services, such as how to secure the military exemption to property taxes or apply to live in the Iowa Veterans Home. There is also limited funding available for emergency housing, food or utility expenses. While the County Veterans Affairs Office will continue to help coordinate transportation to VA hospitals in Des Moines or Iowa City, in the future these trips may be largely to see specialists rather than seek primary care.

The state's office of Iowa Workforce Development in downtown Ottumwa (310 W. Main St.) provides counseling to veterans seeking employment and guides vets to education and training opportunities. Veteran's Representative Linda Rouse (Linda.Rouse@iwd.iowa.gov, 641-684-5401, extension 111) also monitors job listings from federal agencies and federal contractors to ensure that veterans get preference in referral to these jobs, and works closely with clients of VA Vocational Rehabilitation.

Indian Hills Community College's (IHCC's) Veterans Affairs Office helps vets obtain VA education benefits and administers the VA's education benefits program. The office's services are more than a gateway to benefits. IHCC staff member Teresa McNitt (veterans@indianhills.edu or 641-683-5153) is a link to a range of college resources. College is tough enough if you go directly from high school, and things can be even more complicated for returning vets. It might have been several years since a veteran has been in a classroom, and some may have returned from a war zone with PTSD or another war-related illness. McNitt helps ease the transition by linking veterans with other school or community services.

Accessing Outpatient Clinic Services

The Ottumwa veterans outpatient clinic will offer primary and mental health care, physical therapy, and social work services, and will have a laboratory for blood work and other tests. The Ottumwa CBOC is at 1009 East Pennsylvania Ave., and is on the Ottumwa Transit Authority bus route. Clinic hours are 8-4:30, Monday through Friday. For appointments, call 641-683-4300.