Officials ‘grateful’ as new Coralville VA outpatient clinic opens

An expanded Veterans Administration (VA) community-based outpatient clinic in Coralville, in the works for several years, is finally a reality. Officials gathered June 17 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new VA clinic at 2213 Second Ave. in Coralville, formerly home to a GEICO call center. The clinic officially opened for patient care Aug. 21, supplementing the primary care available from the Iowa City VA Medical Center. At 30,000 square feet, officials said the new clinic is about 7,000 square feet larger than the previous Coralville VA clinic at 520 Tenth Ave., which first opened in 2006. And the extra space, they say, will provide more room for outpatient veterans’ health services in a variety of areas, from psychology and group therapy to suicide prevention, substance abuse treatments, marriage and family counseling, clinical pharmacy services, womens’ health, lab services, physical therapy and teleretinal services, and many other disciplines. Judith Johnson-Mekota, director of the Iowa City VA Health Care System, noted that the need for veterans’ health care services has grown dramatically in the years since the first VA outpatient clinic opened its doors. “It's just amazing how veterans’ health care needs and health care delivery methods have changed,” she said. “At the time (the first clinic opened), the need was for additional primary care and mental health services for veterans. That need continues for our veterans, and this is another opportunity for us to provide even more services.” The new clinic will also provide more effective use of space and coordination of care, Ms. Johnson-Mekota said. “I also think it's important to talk about gratitude,” she said. “As we’ve come out of the pandemic, I think it's even more important that we're grateful for what we've done and the people that we've worked with. This just typifies the collaboration between the VA and our community partners.”

Congresswoman Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Johnson County’s Congressional representative and herself a 24-year military veteran, said the new clinic’s status as a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) will help bring critical services closer to the veterans who need them most. “The single-floor (layout), the flow, the accessibility, and dare I say the parking, makes this a facility that is going to be more easily accessed by our veterans,” she said. “We know that there is a need for substance use disorder services and mental health services, both outpatient and inpatient. We've had hearings on this on Capitol Hill, and we know that there's more that we need to do. We’re looking at breakthrough therapies, and maybe in the future this will be a place where that type of assisted treatment and therapy is offered to help our veterans with PTSD and depression and most importantly, suicide prevention.” The clinic is designed in accordance with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model, Ms. Miller-Meeks added, which will provide “a more holistic view of treating our veterans in order to be able to get them through the difficult circumstances that they face as a condition of their service.”

The new facility, with a total buildout cost of approximately $10 million, is easily accessible by vehicle or along local bus routes, officials noted, and the extra space provides more room not only for medical services, but for psychology internship and programs for resident training and recruitment efforts. “Our staff and patients alike will greatly benefit from the many improved features, such as a centralized flow and check in, one level to navigate and an organized layout,” added Patricia Booth, clinical manager for the Coralville clinic. Currently, the Coralville VA outpatient clinic provides about 6,000 patient visits per year, officials said, noting that they expect that number to rise dramatically as more veterans enter the system and seek services. After the presentations, local veterans led a formal flag-raising ceremony for the clinic.