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Goshen VA Clinic to close March 31

Goshen News - 1/4/2022

Jan. 5—GOSHEN — On March 31, the Goshen VA clinic will close.

Michael Hershman, director of VA Northern Indiana health care, made the announcement during a veterans' town hall Tuesday afternoon.

Those who were receiving care there can go to the St. Joseph VA Clinic, 1540 Trinity Place, Mishawaka. They can also go to the VA Hospital in Fort Wayne, he said.

The Veteran Affairs Northern Indiana Healthcare System Goshen Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will permanently close. However, Hershman said that the VA is exploring other options in the area for veteran care.

"Veterans who currently obtain their healthcare at the Goshen CBOC will be reassigned to the St. Joseph County VA Health Care Center, prior to closure," VANIHCS Public Affairs Officer Alex Sharpe stated in an email. "Veteran reassignment will be temporary while VANIHCS pursues a new government-operated clinic."

The goal is to shift from a contract-operated clinic to a government-operated clinic. St. Joseph VA Clinic is a government-operated clinic with expanded services for veterans. The clinic in Goshen is contract-operated and that contract runs out March 31. Hershman said he did not know how long it would take to find a new option nor what that would look like.

"Our goal as always is to bring veterans the best care possible back to a VA-operated facility, better continuity of care and better services like podiatry, optometry, audiology, urology, a larger lab, (and) teleservices to Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Ann Arbor (Michigan) VA, all located at the St. Joe clinic in Mishawaka," Hershman said.

The Mishawaka clinic, he added, will have three medical teams and offers an expanded mental health clinic, plus a CT scanner.

Veterans using the Goshen clinic will soon be receiving a welcome letter from the St. Joseph County VA Health Care Center. The letter will contain important information about the St. Joseph County VA Health Care Center and their new Patient Aligned Care Team, Sharpe stated in the email.

For all veterans who have appointments booked through March 30 at Goshen — those should occur, Hershman said. Then they will look beyond that at scheduling people at the Mishawaka location.

New staff is being hired at the Mishawaka clinic. Goshen staff members who want to relocate can, Hershman added.

As for transportation services, Hershman said the VA is determining whether there are any additional transportation needs required for Goshen.

"We work with our own veterans' transportation service," he said. "We also work with the DAV, Disabled American Veterans, to transport veterans in and around the region, and we'll see if any other requirements are needed due to that clinic closure.

"All of the travel pay entitlements will be the same as you traveling to any other VA facility for directive care," he said. "There will be no difference in that."

The Goshen VA Clinic, 2606 Peddler's Village Road, opened in April 2015 to give better access and more programs to local veterans. It replaced a clinic that was located on Lincolnway East on the south side of Goshen.

Sheila Selman can be reached at sheila.selman@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240311. Follow Sheila on Twitter @sselman_TGN.

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