KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new VA health clinic coming in 2018 could help almost 20,000 Kansas metro veterans currently unenrolled in VA benefits programs.
The new VA outpatient clinic, which will be located along Anderson Street near 68th Terrace, will provide a number of services for eligible veterans.
New VA outpatient clinic will open in Jan. 2018. Provides a much closer VA facility for thousands of metro veterans pic.twitter.com/FIbDMEu2H1
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) September 27, 2017
The new facility served as a main topic of a veterans town hall on Wednesday evening at the Johnson County Central Resource Library.
Olathe resident Mike Cooper was one of a number of veterans who attended the event.
After serving in the Air Force during the late stages of the Vietnam War, Cooper is now eligible to receive health services at the Kansas City VA Medical Center in east Kansas City.
While Cooper told 41 Action News he remained satisfied with the care he was receiving at the current facility, he said the trip there can sometimes be long.
“If you got to go down to KCVA, you've got to plan either going around the traffic early or going late,” he explained.
Covering veterans town hall tonight @jocolibrary. Updates on new VA clinic in Shawnee to be discussed pic.twitter.com/Rnotmem2XU
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) September 27, 2017
With the new facility in Shawnee opening in January, the commute for Kansas metro veterans like Cooper will be much shorter.
Instead of needing to drive around half an hour to the current medical center on Linwood Boulevard, veterans around Johnson County and surrounding areas can now make the shorter trek to Shawnee.
“We are trying to make this outreach closer to where the veterans live,” explained KCVA Chief of Staff Dr. Ahmad Batrash. “This is very important to cutdown on the travel and cut down on the inconvenience."
Batrash told 41 Action News that around 18,000 Kansas metro veterans remain unenrolled in VA benefits programs, with some unaware of what they are eligible for.
By providing a health clinic closer to them, Dr. Batrash hoped the facility could have a far-reaching impact.
“Hopefully, by seeing this new clinic available for them, they would consider the VA as a choice,” he explained. “We will provide an absolutely much-needed service for a well-deserving customer."
The VA clinic in Shawnee will become the seventh community-based outpatient clinic for veterans living in or near the metro, joined by facilities in:
- Belton, MO
- Nevada, MO
- Cameron, MO
- Warrensburg, MO
- Excelsior Springs, MO
- Paola, KS
Organizers expect the new facility to open on Jan. 2, 2018.
All veterans will be eligible for a screening after registering at the clinic.
Moving forward, Mike Cooper said he was happy to see the service provided close to home.
“I’m glad that the veterans are getting the attention that they well deserve, especially with the health care,” he explained.
