CORRECTION: This story was updated Dec. 21, 2023 at 12:07 p.m. to reflect incorrect information provided to Hays Post. The Hays VA clinic does not have a pharmacy and the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Liberal has closed.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Easy access from U.S. Highway 183 and Interstate 70, along with expanded parking, are two major advantages of the relocated Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center Community-Based Outpatient Clinic from a one-way street in downtown Hays to 4107 Vine St.
The building, just north of I-70, is the former Carlos O'Kelley's restaurant.
A ribbon cutting and grand opening were conducted at the facility Tuesday morning with local, state, and federal dignitaries attending, along with many area veterans and the clinic staff.
"It's great to be here on Vine Street," said Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., First District. "I can't think of a better location for this facility."
Mann paid tribute to Dole's legacy. The World War II veteran and former U.S. senator from Russell passed away two years ago this month.
"All the great things he did for this nation and its veterans continue to live on," Mann said.
Of the 20 million American veterans, 4.4 million live in rural areas where there are fewer health professionals, and it can be difficult to access health care.
He, who is a Quinter native, said the day was also a celebration of thriving communities as well as a new veteran's clinic.
"As veterans work to build new friendships, establish new patterns and figure out the next steps in their lives, they need a community and resources to support them. Veterans have served us all selflessly and this clinic is about serving them and ensuring that they receive the highest quality of care," Mann said.
There are 35,000 veterans living in the First District represented by Mann, who is a former member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Ellis County and the surrounding area have about 3,500 veterans.
The new clinic has almost 1,300 square feet more than the former downtown facility, allowing for three additional exam rooms as well as dedicated space for group therapy and mental health care, said Michael D. Payne Jr., medical center director of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita.
"We're pleased we've been able to expand and improve our clinic for veterans in this part of the state," he said.
Other Dole community-based outpatient clinics are in Salina, Dodge City, Hutchinson and Parsons. Four of the five are in the Big First Congressional District.
Patients at the Hays clinic, which opened in 1999, come from a large service area.
"We're all the way from the border of Colorado, all the way to the Nebraska border, and down south 40 or 50 miles, as well as east 40 or 50 miles," said Harley Calvin, D.O. "We cover a very large region."
Calvin's patients range in age from 22 to more than 100 years old. The oldest patients happen to live nearby.
"It's hard for our elderly patients to make the visit here so we usually use community care for them," he said.
The Hays clinic has 17 employees and serves more than 1,200 veterans in northwest Kansas.
Calvin's first appointment in the new facility was Monday afternoon. He immediately noticed better and faster computer communications.
The clinic also meets updated telecommunications requirements for digital security and safeguarding veterans' health information.
There are dedicated rooms for audiology and teleretinal exams. Another room at the front of the clinic is dedicated for telehealth appointments where veterans can complete appointments with VA staff in remote locations without having to check in with the Hays staff.
The clinic also offers laboratory and pathology services.
"We deal primarily with primary care events," Calvin said, "and we do have some walk-ins. We also deal with colds, fevers, sore throats, evaluating them to see if we can manage them here."
Calvin has been working with the Hays VA medical center since Aug. 1, 2011. A WaKeeney native, he previously practiced in Ness City for 12 years.
"The distances out here are great, and the service we need is significant," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who grew up in Plainville.
"Coming together as we're doing today means that more veterans will receive more care in a more timely fashion with more professionals," he said.