Step into the new Veterans Administration health clinic and you’ll find subtle hints of the Flint Hills, with wide hallways, earth tone decor and photos that evoke the open plains and a rural lifestyle.
It’s a way to tap into the feelings of pride Kansans have for their state and their country, Yolanda Quintero, Community-Based Outpatient Clinic Administrator for the VA, explained. It’s also a way to highlight the spacious new clinic, which opened Monday at 1408 East St.
An open house with a ribbon cutting ceremony and health fair is scheduled for Sept. 13. Keynote speakers include Sen. Jerry Moran, VA Health Care System Director Rudy Klopfer and Iola Mayor Steve French.
THE IOLA clinic merges facilities from Fort Scott, Chanute and Garnett, which together represent about 856 veterans in Southeast Kansas. Much of the staff come from those clinics, offering a sense of familiarity for patients who have transfered to Iola.
The new clinic is located in the remodeled Family Physicians space. That clinic moved to another location in the building.
Women’s health needs are highlighted in Iola, as the VA expands its services for all veterans, Quintero said. An oversized exam room with a private bathroom is designed specifically for women, and the clinic features a lactation room. The lights in all rooms can be dimmed. Each chair can be maneuvered to meet the needs of the patient and physician, and can be adjusted from a typical chair to a recliner to an exam bed.
In all, the clinic offers eight exam rooms, including the women’s exam room. A central office with windows allows doctors to oversee most of the clinic as they work. Dr. David Henderson, a longtime family practice physician from Garnett, is on staff at the Iola office.
Still to be installed in the lobby is a television screen that will display photos of veterans from across the region.
ROOMS also are dedicated to a variety of unique services. Some areas are designated for telehealth services, both for mental and physical health. A social worker will have an office at the clinic.
A traveling nurse will be stationed in Iola. Quintero said the hope is to find someone local for the position, who will offer a sense of familiarity to visit veterans in their homes and provide for their general health care needs.
Another room is designed specifically for teaching patients how to manage their health or treat specific conditions. It features a large table, a widescreen television and a whiteboard, with mannequins that can be used to demonstrate correct treatment protocols. For example, Quintero explained, the training room is available if a patient is diagnosed with diabetes and needs to learn how to use insulin. Staff also will use the room for training.
Other rooms in the clinic have been set aside for VA staff, who might travel from other locations to Iola. There’s also room to grow if VA officials determine additional services are needed.
Those who have been inside the building before the remodel are likely to note how much bigger it appears, perhaps because of the wide hallways and bright colors. That’s intentional, Quintero said, both to give a sense of openness and to allow freedom of movement for those who need wheelchairs or other devices. 
VETERANS are encouraged to come to the clinic to enroll for benefits. On Monday, five applied.
Other options are to enroll online at va.gov or call 620-223-8655
