News Reader.info

VA Puget Sound has a responsibility to both the Veterans it cares for and to taxpayers who fund that care. This move will not only reduce the cost to taxpayers, it will expand the number of

Veterans residing in Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties able to get their care at the new VA Puget Sound Olympia clinic—not only the approximately 3,500 enrolled Chehalis patients, but for

an additional 2,000 more from the Olympia area.

“This move, in combination with VA Puget Sound’s new VA-operated clinics in Edmonds, Olympia, Puyallup and our anticipated $4.6 million, 26,000 sq. ft. clinic in Everett in mid-2022, on the

heels of our Silverdale clinic and Community and Resource Referral Centers openings in 2019, are all part our larger system redesign to better serve Western Washington,” said VA Puget Sound

Health Care System Director Michael Tadych. “VA Puget Sound is also exploring new care sites in the Auburn/Kent and North King County areas. Together, our new clinical footprint will allow

VA Puget Sound to directly serve Everett and Olympia, two major metropolitan areas in Western Washington with no VA facilities currently. Additionally, it will create new capacity for our

areas of highest growth in South King and Pierce counties as well as provide better outreach to rural Veterans in North King County.”

The new Olympia clinic (located at Memorial Medical Plaza, 500 Lilly Rd. NE, Suite 201, Olympia, WA 98506) will have up to 10 Patient Aligned Care Teams (known as PACTs), supporting

approximately 10,000 enrolled Veterans (growth will take place over time, based on patient needs). Across the three new VA operated clinics in Olympia, Edmonds, and Puyallup, that total

capacity for enrolled Veterans in that region will increase to approximately 16,000 across those three new care sites alone.

Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions to help Veterans understand the change:

Q: How many Veterans currently receive care at the Chehalis contracted clinics?

Q: How many Veterans are within the required 30-minute drive-time?

Q: What’s going to happen to the 1,500 who live outside the 30-minute drive-time?

A: For Veterans unable to be treated virtually or at the Olympia location, VA Puget Sound will work with them individually to meet their care needs.

Q: What’s being done to address the lack of available Community Care Network providers in the South Sound area?

Q: When VA Puget Sound announced in December 2020 the opening of its new clinics in Edmonds, Puyallup, and Olympia, it stated that it would initially enroll 4,060 Veterans at the Olympia

site. How will it accommodate the Chehalis enrollees?

Q: The Lewis County Veterans Relief Fund has a contract to be able to provide transportation for appointments. But that is going to be full very quickly. Is the Olympia clinic going to be

able to provide proper and timely care for Thurston and Lewis County?

Q: Is the Olympia clinic going to be able to provide proper and timely care for Thurston and Lewis County?

A: Chehalis clinic employees are currently employed by the contractor. All new positions will be posted on USA Jobs and open to all existing VA employees and all U.S. citizens. We continue

to support Sterling to successfully complete the contract and serve our Veterans through October 31, 2021.

VA Puget Sound has experienced a 60 percent growth in unique population in last 10 years while space essentially remained unchanged. To address the space constraints and better serve

Veterans where they are geographically located, it continues with facility renovations and new construction projects across its catchment area—$121 million Mental Health and Research

Building in Seattle (March 2019); $9.7 million, 15,000-square-foot Silverdale clinic (December 2019) that replaced its clinic in Bremerton; and $4.3 million, 14,000 sq. ft. Community

Resource and Referral Center in Georgetown (December 2019). Additionally, it continues renovations to its American Lake campus to support expanded primary care, while optimizing its

specialty care programs and services.

Patients interested in seeking care at the Olympia clinic should call 253-583-2621 or 800-329-8387.