Staff Writer
HOULTON — At least two staff members have been hired for a part-time veterans’ clinic at Houlton Regional Hospital.
According to Jim Doherty, staff assistant to the center director at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center at Togus, a nurse and a clerk have been identified for a one-day-a-week medical clinic.
“We’re continuing to attempt to get a provider (a doctor). That’s the only thing we’re still waiting on,” said Doherty last week. “We’re working really hard to identify someone so we can move forward.”
Doherty offered no estimates as to how long it could take to find a doctor for the clinic; he said that process partly depends on whether the person already has the credentials they need for working in the VA system.
“If it’s someone new [to us] coming on board, then we’d have to go through a credentialing process,” he added. “That’s pretty standard.”
Members of American Legion Post 47 have long been campaigning for a local clinic, saying veterans need care closer to home than Caribou or Togus. The post has generated support among area veterans, circulated surveys to gather data and garnered support from Houlton Regional Hospital in terms of clinic space.
Jim Burton, service officer for the Bangor Road post and advocate for the local clinic, said last fall that more than 800 area veterans have expressed an interest in and support for a Houlton clinic.
