VA Clinic to open in Huntington on July 31

A ribbon cutting was held at VA Northern Indiana Health Care System celebrating their new facility in Huntington on Thursday, July 20. The new VA Clinic is located at 2859 Northpark Avenue, Suite 110. Shown in the photo from left, are Landon Porter, Office of U.S. Representative Jim Banks; Helen Rhodes, Associate Director, Patient Care Services; Rob Miller, president, Huntington County Commissioners; Anthony Colon, Interim Director; Mayor Richard Strick; Mary Martin, Office of U.S. Senator Mike Braun; Steve Sheets, Associate Director and Dr. Grace Stringfellow, Chief of Staff.

“There is help for veterans, and it’s right here in Huntington.”

The Huntington County Veterans Service Office is proud to announce a new, local option for veterans’ health care services in partnership with Fort Wayne-based VA Northern Indiana Health Care Systems. The establishment of a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic at 2859 Northpark Avenue, Suite 110, in Huntington was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 20.

The Huntington VA Clinic will begin seeing patients on July 31. Two primary care teams consisting of a doctor, nurse practitioner and support staff will provide veterans with health care services. Regular hours will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The clinic’s key services include: primary care for veterans, laboratory capabilities for blood draws in preparation for an appointment, pharmacy assistance with mail-order prescriptions and group PTSD counseling to be offered in the near future.

Any veteran who meets the registration requirements is eligible for services at the new Huntington clinic. Generally, this includes: former POWs, Purple Heart recipients, those who served in southwest Asia, those exposed to water contamination at Camp Lejeune, those who have a service-connected disability with a ten percent rating or higher and low-income veterans below the poverty rate.

If you are a veteran who is unsure of your eligibility for services, please contact the Huntington County Veterans Service Office at (260) 358-4863 to find out if you qualify.

Additionally, veterans not yet enrolled in VA care or currently receiving services at another facility can initiate health services at the new Huntington clinic during an Enrollment Fair from Monday, July 24 through Friday, July 28. Daily hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Please bring your DD214 certificate of release or discharge papers with you to the clinic to help with registration. If you have questions, contact the clinic and request to speak with Dale McPherson.

“Veterans can get help right here Monday through Friday during normal business hours,” said Tim Eckert, director of the Huntington County Veterans Services Office. “The VA is trying to reach them by being in the community versus them needing to travel to hospitals in Fort Wayne or Marion.”

The Veterans Service Office would like to thank the following people for their role in launching and supporting the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic: Anthony Colon, acting director, VA Northern Indiana Health Care Systems; Huntington County Commissioners Rob Miller, Terry Stoffel and Tom Wall and Veterans’ organizations including the local VFW #2689 and Huntington County’s three American Legion Posts.