The outpatient clinic for military veterans in Durango that serves thousands of patients will be enlarged, and another medical practitioner will be hired.
Expanding the clinic and services will cut waits, which has been as long as three months. Veterans from Archuleta County at times have had to travel 220 miles to Albuquerque even for something as simple as blood work.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., announced the clinic’s expansion this week.
Mike Hayward, the secretary of Veterans for Veterans of Archuleta County, initially contacted the senator’s office about increasing services.
The veterans organization was concerned that its members weren’t getting needed attention. A trip to Albuquerque was an added expense, he said.
There still is work to do, Hayward said, but veterans appreciate the attention Bennet has given the matter.
A doctor has been hired, and plans call for a 1,000-square-foot expansion of the clinic, located at 1970 East Third Ave.
The clinic has been operating with only one practitioner.
daler@durangoherald.com
