New VA clinic sees first patients
U.S. military veterans residing in Johnson County and neighboring rural areas in Kansas now have more convenient access to primary health care. A new community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) opened its doors to patients on Jan. 2.
Located at 6830 Anderson Street in Shawnee, the new clinic offers primary and specialty care services, including geriatrics and mental health services. The 10,000 square-foot facility houses 15 exam rooms, a laboratory and educational space.
The Shawnee treatment center is the seventh community-based outpatient clinic operated by the Kansas City VA Medical Center. Besides the CBOCs in Belton, Cameron, Excelsior Springs and Warrensburg, Mo., and Paola and Shawnee in Kansas, the Kansas City VAMC has an annex east of the Truman Sports Complex, open weekdays, and a mobile medical unit serving Olathe, Kan., and Bolivar, Carrollton, Chillicothe, Osceola and Trenton, Mo., on a rotating basis.
Collectively, Kansas City VAMC treatment centers provide care for more than 50,000 area veterans annually. Last year, centers received a total of 500,000 visits.
The 40-acre VAMC campus on Linwood Boulevard in eastern Kansas City is the hub of the KC VAMC system, and the city is the headquarters of the Heartland region, one of 23 national veterans integrated service networks. Opened in 1952, the 11-story KC VAMC provides acute medical, surgical, neurological, psychiatric and rehabilitation care for area veterans. Specialty services include audiology, cardiac catheterization, orthopedic surgery, renal transplants, vascular lab services and specialized low vision care.
What makes VA medical centers uniquely a one-stop healthcare choice, say VA administrators, is the range of services at one location. Patients can get their teeth cleaned, their eyes checked, prescriptions filled and their blood tested without leaving the building. That’s a plus, especially for a healthcare system in which one-quarter of patients are over age 60.
It’s striving for such convenience and ease of access that drove creation of the new clinic in Shawnee. The location shortens considerably the commute for Johnson County veterans and rural residents. Proximity to the building also shortens the trek from the parking lot’s 55 spaces, positioned much closer to the building than at the far larger Linwood Boulevard campus. VA officials also point to the Shawnee clinic’s smaller, less busy, friendly atmosphere.
They hope that by offering convenient primary care close to home, they will draw veterans who haven’t registered yet for the benefits they’ve earned. They suspect there are upwards of 10,000 such veterans in Johnson County alone.
Veterans did join Shawnee city officials and staff and executives from the Kansas City VA on Dec. 22 for a formal ribbon-cutting. Guests, which included representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder and Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts, toured the new clinic after the opening ceremony and enjoyed refreshments.
The Shawnee site will offer screenings to veterans who register at the clinic.
