VA Clinic to offer mental health services, help homeless vets

With the Veterans Affairs Clinic now open in Joplin, Newstalk KZRG spoke with Wanda Shull, who is with the VA of the Ozarks. She says in it’s first year alone, the clinic will serve 7,000 veterans. “In the VA we want the care to be closer to the veterans. That’s why Joplin was one of the areas selected for a clinic, as well as just down the road in Springfield, because that’s where the veteran population is.”

With the VA Clinic in Mount Vernon, Shull says many vets were having to travel a long distance. She estimates that 9,000 veterans are going to be closer to their care because of these clinics and where they are located.

The clinic will offer primary care, which includes a doctor, registered nurse and others. The clinic will also offer mental health, social work, hearing aid fitting, pharmacy, lab radiology and programs that help veterans dealing with homelessness.