Brandon Florida may land VA clinic

Brandon may land VA clinic
By Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writer
In print: Saturday, May 17, 2008


BRANDON — Military veterans living in east Hillsborough County may eventually have outpatient care closer to home.

A new Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Brandon is expected to receive support from the House of Representatives later this month, according to U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, and could be open for patients by June 2011.

If the proposal passes, more than $4.3-million in funding could be available for a 50,000-square-foot outpatient facility. The location has not been determined.

"In general, outpatient clinics are a great service to veterans, and it's important to provide the care close to where they are," said Susan Wentzell, a public affairs specialist at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. "But it's too early to say much about what this clinic would provide."

Haley, one of the nation's busiest VA hospitals, logged more than 1-million outpatient visits last year. A Brandon clinic would serve as an extension of Haley and would be more convenient to the estimated 10,000 veterans who would use it each year.
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