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VA Clinic Now 85 Percent Complete

Mar 15, 2010
The Villages Daily Sun, Mar 15, 2010 -
— Every time he needs a medical test, Tom Cruce travels about an hour and a half one way to the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville from his home in The Villages.
 
So the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens resident is anxious for the opening of The Villages Outpatient Clinic, a 90,000-square-foot health care center the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is developing adjacent to the Mulberry Grove Plaza Shopping Center.
Cruce won’t have to wait too much longer, since it appears the long-anticipated outpatient health clinic is on schedule for a tentative August opening date.
 
“All my tests and everything else are being done in Gainesville,” said Cruce, a former Army military policeman who suffered a service-connected knee injury while serving during the Vietnam War. “This is going to be a godsend. This is going to be very much more convenient.”
 
Veterans such as Cruce are the reason that U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, pushed so hard for the development of The Villages Outpatient Clinic.
 
“I first spoke to the VA about establishing a new facility for this area in 2003, and in 2008 I attended the groundbreaking for this state-of-the-art facility,” Stearns said. “I am very excited that the new facility is slated to open in August, and I look forward to thousands of veterans benefiting from the care and services that it will provide.
 
But it took a partnership to accomplish this development, Stearns added.
 
“I applaud The Villages for donating the land, and I hope that this facility will attract other health companies to the area, enhancing the level of service for veterans in North Central Florida,” Stearns said.
 
Notwithstanding any unforeseen delays, the VA is confident the facility will open in August, VA spokeswoman Mary Kay Hollingsworth said.
 
“We are looking forward to activating the new clinic in mid-August, and at this point we don’t foresee any impediments to reaching this target date,” Hollingsworth said.
 
The facility is about 85 percent complete, the VA disclosed in a recent construction update.
 
For example, the VA disclosed that the facility’s systems, including the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems are operational. The emergency generator has passed all tests.
 
Already, the VA is receiving considerable job interest from the community, Hollingsworth said. She requested that interested job candidates refrain from contacting the existing VA health clinic in the Laurel Manor Professional Plaza.
 
“Those interested in employment opportunities are encouraged to check (the Web site) usajobs.govfrequently as we continue to post positions,” Hollingsworth said.
 
All of this information encouraged Cruce.
 
“It’s going to save me time and money and improve the quality of my life,” Cruce said.