VA is looking for a good building

An outpatient veterans clinic in North Idaho could open by late 2008 – but only if federal officials can find a suitable site for the 20,000-square-foot center.

So far, however, no good options have emerged for the clinic aimed at making medical services more accessible for about 7,000 veterans a year in North Idaho and Western Montana.

“It’d be nice to find a building that we don’t have to build to suit,” said Chuck Marsden, facilities logistics officer for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane. “There’s nothing in Coeur d’Alene that size.”

Ideally, the new site would be all on one level, near public transportation and with ample parking for veterans who will come from as far as Lincoln County, Mont., Marsden said. Organizers hope the clinic will shorten travel time by up to an hour for far-flung veterans, and help lessen worries about winter driving.

The clinic will provide primary care and mental health services, including doctor’s visits, medical tests and social services, for about 26,000 veterans in an area of about 11,500 square miles. The center will also refer patients for specialized services to VA hospitals in Spokane or elsewhere.

Congress has authorized about $1.7 million for the clinic, although costs could reflect construction of a similar Community Based Outpatient Clinic that held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week in Wenatchee. Costs for that center were estimated at about $3 million, according to Shawn Bills, a spokesman for Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Marsden estimated it could take up to 18 months to renovate an existing building, but far longer if a new structure has to be built.