Vets Hope for Better Care Under New Clinic Management

By Dann Denny, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.

May 2–More than 30 veterans and family members gathered at the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Bloomington Monday to celebrate its first day under new management.

The vets are hopeful that medical care at the clinic, at 455 S. Landmark Ave., will improve under the management of Ambulatory Care Solutions — which also manages VA outpatient clinics in Terre Haute and South Bend.

“I know nothing about how those clinics are doing in Terre Haute and South Bend, but I have high hopes of getting some good service out of this company,” said Farrell Duckworth, commander of AMVETS Post 2000.

Duckworth said he was happy the new company is providing two full-time doctors and two full-time nurse practitioners at the clinic.

“Under the previous management, we had one full-time nurse practitioner and one part-time doctor who was here once every two to three weeks,” he said. “This should result in better care for our veterans.”

The former management company was Chicago-based MedMark Inc.

The Bloomington VA clinic is one of eight satellite clinics of the VA Medical Center in Indianapolis.

“We consider it our special mission and calling to serve our veterans,” said Linda Jeffrey, public affairs officer for the center in Indianapolis.

John Earnest, executive director of the Bloomington VA clinic, said Ambulatory Care Solutions’ commitment to veterans is evidenced by the fact that the chairman of its board is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel — James Oliver.

Monday’s ceremony included short talks by Earnest; Susan Bowers, director of the VA Medical Center in Indy; and Rep. Steve Buyer, chairman of the veterans affairs committee for the U.S. House of Representatives.

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