New VA Clinic in Watertown holds open house to address questions from veterans
WATERTOWN — An open house at the new Syracuse VA’s Jefferson County Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Stateway Plaza off Arsenal Street in the old Planet Fitness allowed veterans to ask questions about offerings at the new clinic in Watertown.
The main center in Syracuse has seven clinics in locations such as Binghamton, Auburn, Rome, Watertown and Potsdam.
Robert W. Mclean, public affairs officer at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, said the clinics provide basic and specialty care for veterans before they are triaged to the main medical center in Syracuse.
“This is a way for our veterans to get the routine care they need and also the referrals they might need if they need a higher level of care which will take place either at our medical center or in the community,” he said.
Mr. Mclean said the justification for the new building was to modernize the facility and provide veterans the extra space. The clinic will serve up to 4,000 veterans in the area.
Patients will mostly see the same people, but the VA is looking for new providers because of the facility’s size, he said.
This building replaces the old VA Clinic in Northland Plaza on State Street in Watertown. STGI of Alexandria, Va. will operate the new location, instead of Sterling Medical which operated the old building.
Frank P. Pearson, director of the Syracuse VA Medical Center, said STGI provides the staffing for the Watertown, Potsdam and Auburn locations.
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