More than 100 veterans attended a meeting Thursday to learn more about a Veterans Administration Clinic coming to Iola.
The clinic will be at the Family Physicians building at 1408 East St. It is expected to open in June after remodeling.
Several of the veterans said they are glad the clinic will be opened five days a week. It will merge three other clinics — currently in Fort Scott, Chanute and Garnett — that serve about 856 area veterans.
VETERANS had several questions about the transition, mostly about which services would be provided and when they would be required to travel to a larger VA facility in such places as Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence or Kansas City.
As the Iola clinic gets up and running, VA officials will have a better idea what specific services are needed, the representatives said. Some services can be addressed through telehealth. Examples are audiology and vision. Veterans can receive a telehealth screening to assess their hearing or vision, but may have to travel to receive or adjust equipment.
That information was of interest to Iola veteran Paul Zirjacks, who is happy with his existing health care plan. But it doesn’t include audiology services and the VA does.
David Lee of LaHarpe, a veteran and county commissioner, said he was happy to have a VA clinic located so close to home. He had questions, though, about staffing and how prescription medication would be dispensed. After discussing his concerns, he learned local pharmacies could provide short-term medication until the VA’s pharmacy system would begin mailing prescriptions.
As for staff, that is still being determined but existing staff for the Garnett, Chanute and Fort Scott locations have been offered positions in the Iola clinic. The plan is to have a primary care provider, three nurses, a lab technician, a behavioral health provider and two medical service assistants on staff five days a week to start, and possibly expand as services dictate.
Local veteran Shauna Berntsen asked about women’s health services. Currently, the primary care provider is male but perhaps a female physician could be available for a monthly clinic, she was told.
Iola veteran John Masterson noted he used private health insurance during much of his working life and now has Medicare. Would there be an advantage for him to apply for VA services?
Perhaps, he was told. Perhaps he might qualify for services not covered by private or other government options.
The VA offers “a lot of wraparound” services to address everything from homelessness to home care, nursing home care, medication and more. The best way to find out is to apply, the VA staff said.
Ed Miller of Iola said he plans to transfer to the Iola clinic. He currently receives services in Paola; it’s available five days a week and is closer to his former home in Garnett.
“It’s great to have a more accessible clinic,” he said.
Chanute resident Ed Wilcox also is looking forward to transferring to the Iola clinic.
