The new clinic will begin limited operations today in its new facility at 2650 N.E. Courtney Drive in Bend.

A new Veterans Affairs clinic in Bend opens its doors today, with expanded services that will help many local veterans avoid the long drive to Portland for specialized care and eligibility exams.

At 25,000 square feet, the new clinic on Northeast Courtney Drive is more than double the size of the previous VA clinic across the street, said clinic manager John Shea.

Shea, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War, said 6,200 veterans are enrolled at the Bend Veteran Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic.

“We’re going to have rehab, which we’ve never had before,” Shea said. Many veterans who need physical therapy simply went without it because a three-hour trip from Bend to Portland was not practical for those with back pain and other common problems, and could actually exacerbate those conditions, Shea said. He said full-time physical therapist Jennifer Alexander will likely handle as many as 2,200 patient visits a year.

Another new addition to the clinic is an audiology department with equipment such as booths for hearing tests.

Audiology services will begin in approximately one month, Shea said.

The clinic has a new, full-time clinical pharmacist and will soon add a part-time urologist.

For the first time, veterans can undergo in Bend the compensation and pension exams necessary to qualify for health benefits.

Some exams will be conducted at the clinic by VA medical staff who will work part of the week in Bend. Other exams will be conducted via telehealth equipment, which will allow health care workers in Portland to communicate with and evaluate veterans in Bend by video conference.

Veterans who served in designated combat zones can receive VA health care for five years from the date of their separation from active duty, said Kelli Roesch, assistant public affairs officer at the Portland VA Medical Center. Other veterans must get approval to receive health care benefits.

“We just want veterans to apply for VA care and see if they’re eligible through enrollment specialists,” Roesch said.

The new Bend clinic is expanding some of its existing services, such as eye care and mental health care. The clinic has five telehealth stations — up from two — that will be used in part for patients to meet over video calls with mental health providers at a VA facility in San Diego.

The Bend clinic has five mental health practitioners on staff, including a psychologist and a psychiatrist, but additional staff is needed to meet the needs of local veterans, said Shea and Group Practice Manager Sue Roberts.

Roberts said the new clinic, in an extensively remodeled building, was designed to be a friendly environment for women veterans, too, with a more private section for them.

The number of patients enrolled at the Bend clinic is rapidly growing, with between 50 and 80 new patients added each month, including many who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Roberts said. The most common health issues for these veterans are post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, back pain and difficulty reintegrating into their families and society, Roberts said.

Find out more

Veterans seeking more information on their eligibility for VA health care should call 503-273-5289 or 800-949-1004, ext. 55289.