New VA clinic opens on UMass Chan campus

The VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System and UMass Chan Medical School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November to celebrate the opening of a new 48,000-square-foot community-based outpatient clinic for veterans located on the Medical School’s campus in Worcester.

The clinic will provide veterans with access to primary and specialty health care in a new space designed for patient-aligned care teams. It augments services provided at the VA’s Plantation Street clinic and folds in services that had been provided at the Lincoln Street and Lake Avenue clinics in Worcester. The new site is equipped to serve 16,800 enrolled veterans in Worcester County and opened to patients in December.

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough traveled from Washington, D.C., to celebrate the opening of the new clinic.

“President Biden often says that our most sacred obligation is to prepare and equip the troops we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home,” said McDonough. “Opening this extraordinary new facility helps us do just that. It is the most recent improvement in the long evolution of the way in which we care for veterans.”

McDonough was joined by UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor Michael F. Collins, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Jim McGovern, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Massachusetts VA Secretary Cheryl Lussier Poppe, regional VA Healthcare leaders Ryan Lilly and Duane Gill, and Kristin Mattocks, PhD, MPH, professor of population & quantitative health sciences and associate dean for veterans affairs, along with state lawmakers, city leaders, local veterans and distinguished guests. ■

Sec. McDonough and Chancellor Collins share a proud moment at the ribbon cutting. The fruition of this project is the result of a long and trusting partnership between the Medical School and Veterans Affairs.

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Rep. McGovern, in partnership with Chancellor Collins, championed the near decade-long effort to locate a clinic for veterans on the Medical School campus, consolidating services previously scattered across the region and ensuring that the next generation of health care providers are trained to provide outstanding care to veterans.

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During a tour of the new VA building, Sec. McDonough points out a feature of the space to Sen. Warren.

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Dr. Mattocks announced at the speaking program that a new fund to support research and education related to veterans health has been established at UMass Chan Medical School.

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The clinic occupies 48,000 square feet on the first two levels of the four-story building and includes 65 exam, consultation and procedure rooms.

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