New Lakeland VA Clinic expands access to health care

A new Veterans Affairs clinic in Lakeland is expanding its services to meet a growing demand.

Tuesday’s trip to the New Lakeland VA Clinic is the easiest visit Charles Scherer has had in a long time.

“I’m glad to see it. A lot better than the old one. I never knew where to go over there or anything, [there were] two or three buildings,” Scherer said.

The U.S. Navy veteran tells me he also enjoys the convenience of being able to fill his prescriptions closer to home.

“I don't have to go down to Tampa anymore. I don’t have to fight that traffic on I-4,” Scherer said.

According to The Department of Veterans Affairs , Florida saw the third highest increase in vets enrolling for VA health care over the last year.

The opening of the outpatient clinic on Meadowland Park Blvd. is an effort to expand veteran’s access to affordable healthcare.

“As you know even in Tampa, up in to Lakeland and Orlando, while there’s a lot of healthcare out there, a lot of times our veterans have to wait,” said David Dunning, executive director of James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics.

The new facility is nearly five times larger than the old clinic on South Pipkin Road. Dunning said the clinic will have double the staff and expects to serve about 16,000 veterans annually.

In addition to primary care, new services include dispensing pharmacy, physical therapy, MRI and expanded mental health care.

“We have a lot of issues with people doing self-harm. That's a nationwide issue, it’s especially focused on our veterans. We want to make sure we have the services as immediate as possible,” Dunning said.

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