New area VA clinic in Franklin opens to cheers
Thursday, August 21, 2008 7:19 PM EDT

It's official: veterans of the region will no longer have to make the 70-plus mile trek to Asheville to receive primary care from the VA clinic. Now they have their own facility closer to home.

An estimated crowd of 700 people including veterans and their families, local, state and federal leaders and citizens gathered Monday to celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Franklin Community Based Outpatient Clinic.

The CBOC, which started serving patients Wednesday morning, is located at 647 Wayah Street across the street from Franklin High School.

Event festivities began with music by the Franklin High School Marching Band followed by remarks from several speakers, tours of the building and the ribbon cutting.

Keynote speaker Daniel F. Hoffman, director of the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network, VISN-6 (Veterans Integrated Services Network) quipped that probably every possible type of delay has affected this Franklin CBOC.

"I want to welcome you to the long-awaited CBOC," said Hoffman, whose Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network serves more than 300,000 veterans and averages 1.3 million outpatient visits a year. The network covers North Carolina, most of Virginia and portions of West Virginia and South Carolina.

"We are very proud to provide access to you closer to your homes."

Susan Pendergrass, DrPH, director of the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, which is partnering with the clinic and will staff and operate the CBOC, said the VA was were proud to become a part of the community.

"We expect to provide you perfect customer service," Pendergrass said. She thanked Macon residents and veterans Art Dewitt and Bob Carpenter for their efforts with the clinic and for tolerating the speed at which the federal government works.

"Our heart is in the right place, even if sometimes our processes aren't," Pendergrass said, referring to the delays in the clinic's opening date.

The CBOC will serve approximately 3,500 veterans in the six far westernmost counties (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain), and it will potentially serve veterans in surrounding states, according to Pendergrass. She said the clinic's aim is to treat as many people as they can safely and effectively.

‘We now have an emphasis on making it work here," Pendergrass said. "We want to exceed your expectations."

Event speaker U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), offered his gratitude to BG (Ret.) F.P. "Bodie" Bodenheimer, his family and business partner for what they have done in making the CBOC possible. (Bodenheimer donated the building for the clinic).

He also recognized his friend and Western North Carolina leader Chief Michel Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians for his generosity towards veterans.

Burr said the opening of the Franklin CBOC clinic and other North Carolina clinics is a sign of a change in the delivery of healthcare within the Veterans Administration.

The VA is now delivering healthcare closer to where veterans live, said Burr, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Due to the CBOC, he said they will now be able to deliver healthcare in Franklin without having to dislocate people and send them to Asheville.

"We have to have a VA system that is flexible enough to handle any health challenge," Burr said.

Alluding to the legal delays and complications in getting the clinic open, Bodenheimer said he was thankful and proud this day had finally come.

"And this I think is one of the important things we need not only for the veterans, but for their families, who are so often forgotten," Bodenheimer said.

"It's a blessing to me and all those people at the VA who worked hard to make this happen, and those nameless people in the community who worked so hard to make this happen."

David Raney, Col. USAR (Ret.), communications officer with the VISN 6 (Veterans Integrated Service Network) delivered the event's introductory remarks.

"What a great day for people in Macon County and surrounding counties," Raney said. "You'll be getting top quality care at this clinic," Raney said.

He recognized the efforts of Macon resident and veteran Bob Carpenter (a former state senator), who Raney commended for being a terrific advocate for area veterans throughout the process of getting the CBOC here.

Raney introduced honored guest Wayne Carringer of the Army Air Corps, Pacific Theater, World War II, one of the two survivors of the Bataan-Corregidor Death March living in Western North Carolina.

Carringer, of Robbinsville, was captured and spent three and a half years as a POW. He weighed 75 pounds when released from prison. Carringer led the audience in reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance."

Raney also recognized some of the doctors, nurses and other staff in attendance who will be serving veterans at the CBOC.

"We know you'll be delighted with their care," Raney said. "It will be delivered with compassion for the needs of our veterans."

Franklin Mayor Joe Collins presented a plaque to the CBOC on behalf of the town, welcoming the clinic to the community.

"What a great day," Collins said. "The fact that our town can now serve as a hub where (veterans) can get their medical treatment and not have to go far away."

Macon County manager Jack Horton, a veteran himself, acknowledged his appreciation to the VA and introduced chairman Charlie Leatherman of the Macon Board of Commissioners and the other board members in attendance: Ronnie Beale, Bob Simpson and Brian McClellan.

Leatherman presented a print from local artist Michael Rogers depicting a mountain setting in Western North Carolina for the foyer of the CBOC as an expression of the board's appreciation to the VA for making the clinic a reality.

"This is a good day for this region," said Leatherman, also a veteran. "This is a good day for veterans of this region."

Leatherman presented a plaque to Bodenheimer from the board and Macon citizens, recognizing his dedicated assistance in the establishment of the Franklin CBOC.

Additionally, he awarded a plaque to Bob Carpenter for his persistence and perseverance in seeing the CBOC project through from beginning to end.

U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) said the CBOC facility is not about Democrats, Republicans or independents. Acknowledging the collaboration among Burr and Dole, both Republicans, and Shuler, a Democrat, during the CBOC process, he said, "It's about being American and giving back."

Emphasizing the need to reach across the party aisle, Shuler said we have to be Americans first and put our differences aside.

Addressing the veterans, he added, "I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication and all that you've given our country. God bless you all."

Graham Fields, western regional director for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), who could not attend the event, read a letter from Dole expressing her congratulations on the opening of the CBOC clinic and thanked everyone who contributed to the event.

For more information on the Franklin CBOC or questions on enrollment procedures, contact them at 828-369-1783.

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