Alaska VA announces activation of Homer outreach clinic

• SPH specialty clinics fill the gap in services to American veterans

By Sean Pearson
Homer Tribune
Amid ongoing heated debates and discussions over inadequate healthcare in the United States, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Alaska VA Healthcare System announced it will begin providing medical care to veterans at a VA Outreach Clinic in Homer beginning Dec. 7.
The clinic will operate within South Peninsula Hospital’s Specialty Clinic every Monday, and will be staffed by a provider from the Kenai VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. Work through the clinic is offered under a contract agreement for space and ancillary services through SPH. 
“We have been looking for more ways to use the specialty clinics to provide services needed in the community,” said SPH Public Relations Director Derotha Ferraro. “So far, we’ve been able to provide several specialty services including gynecology, urology and oncology.”
Veterans served at the Homer Outreach Clinic will receive ongoing care for chronic medical conditions, as well as services like lab testing, radiology services, EKGs and preventive health screening. Ferraro added that many other services will be offered, depending upon the patient’s needs, as well as their doctor’s recommendations.
The public first started becoming aware of the implementation of VA services in Homer via flyers Ferraro handed out at last month’s health fair.
“That was really the most talked-about thing at the fair,” Ferraro said. “People were coming up saying, ‘Wow, you have all this?I had no idea.’”
Up to this point, VA clients in the Homer area have had to travel to either Kenai or Anchorage for services.
“That’s quite a ways to go to see your doctor,” Ferraro said. “We’re hoping this will provide them the medical care they need a little closer to home.”
According to the Alaska VA Healthcare System, there are currently some 582 veterans in the Anchor Point, Homer, Ninilchik and Seldovia areas, with 328 (56 percent) of those veterans actively using the VA for medical care.
“That means nearly half of the veterans in our area are not being served for some reason,” Ferraro said. “If having the VA outreach clinic here can improve that, then we’re certainly providing a much-needed service in the community.”
That theory proves right in line with that of Alex Spector, Director of the Alaska VA Healthcare System. In a press release last week, Spector said, “The VA continues to expand its services and provide opportunities for veterans to receive their primary care closer to where they live.” 
According to Spector’s office, in FY09, the Alaska VA provided 142,246 visits for 16,008 veterans. 
Ferraro said things continue to be busy in the specialty clinics, with a variety of visiting physicians coming down from Anchorage to use the space. The hospital fills any unused clinic time with chemotherapy and infusion therapy with their now, full-time oncology nurse.
“This month, we plan to bring in an orthotist who will work in cooperation with the physical therapy department to do specialty bone fittings,” Ferraro added. “So far, the clinics have been open for about 18 months, and we’ve been able to add new services and providers fairly regularly.”
Veterans must call the Kenai VA clinic at 1-877-797-8024 to schedule an appointment to be seen in Homer. Those veterans not actively enrolled in the Alaska VA Healthcare System and interested in medical care with the VA, may also contact the Kenai VA Medical Clinic for information on the enrollment process.