Congressman Patrick McHenry’s office – in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – will host a Veterans Town Hall meeting at the Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) Auditorium on Thursday, September 28, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. The principal topic will be the new VA community-based outpatient clinic scheduled to open in Hickory during Fiscal Year 2007. The CVCC Auditorium is located next to the library on the college’s main campus, 2550 Highway 70, Southeast, Hickory, NC (phone: 828-327-7000).

“This town hall is a forum for our local veterans to get information and pose any questions they may have about our new VA clinic,” Congressman McHenry said. “I am proud that veterans in our area will be able to receive quality health care in a convenient and timely manner. Our veterans deserve top grade medical services, and once completed, this new facility will go a long way in making that a reality.”

Congressman McHenry’s staff will be available outside the auditorium prior to and during the meeting to answer questions regarding veterans-related issues. Anyone with a Veterans Affairs question who cannot attend the town hall is advised to contact Joanna Rowe in Congressman McHenry’s Hickory office at 1-800-477-2576 (toll-free).

The purpose of the meeting is to “hear from veterans and others in the community about their health care needs and to discuss the administrative and clinical aspects of this new VA clinic,” according to Daniel F. Hoffmann, Director of the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network. The network, one of 21 VA integrated health care systems nationally, is headquartered in Durham and manages eight VA medical centers and 15 outpatient clinics across North Carolina, Virginia, and a portion of West Virginia.

Management of the Hickory clinic, which will be staffed by VA to national performance standards, will be the responsibility of staff at the Salisbury VA Medical Center. This will be the third clinic managed from Salisbury – others are in Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

On hand to discuss the primary care and mental health services planned for the Hickory clinic will be the network’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Shelhorse, Dr. Sidney Steinberg, Salisbury VA Medical Center’s chief of staff, Dr. Dave Raney, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN-6) Communications Officer, and Mr. Donald Moore, Salisbury VA Medical Center’s director.

Hoffmann noted that VA community-based outpatient clinics enhance access to health care services closer to where the majority of veterans reside. He emphasized that “an outpatient clinic such as the one in Hickory is not a full-service hospital, but it will offer a variety of primary care and mental health services.” Hoffmann indicated that veterans needing additional services can be referred to Salisbury or other VA Medical Centers.

Further information about the town hall meeting is available from Congressman McHenry’s Hickory office at 1-800-477-2576 and the VA Mid-Atlantic Network at 919-956-5541. Please be advised that the doors will open at 6:30 pm.