By Joel Spears

ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County veterans will soon have a more local place to go for medical care once the construction of a new community based outpatient clinic is complete at Rogersville.
    According to the director’s quarterly report at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center at Mountain Home, the new clinic will be located on the second floor of the Rogersville Orthopedic Clinic. 
    Located at 401 Scenic Drive, across the street from Wellmont Hawkins County Memorial Hospital, it will occupy 4,000 square feet of space and is designed to serve approximately 2,000 patients.
    The report also states that the clinic “is scheduled to open mid-January 2009 if there are no major construction delays.”
    Danny Breeding, Hawkins County Veteran Service Officer, said the only delay in construction has been the installation of a new elevator, but it is also currently being installed.
    To staff the clinic, Dr. Coy Stone, M.D., chief medical officer, has been hired.  Dr. Stone is currently seeing Rogersville-area patients at the Morristown VA Clinic which opened in April.
    Also according to the report, veterans assigned to any new clinic will be selected from current enrolled patients already being seen at Mountain Home.  Patients who ask for a transfer will be evaluated by their primary care provider to assure their needs can be met at the clinic.  “If patients have complex needs requiring many specialty referrals, they will likely remain at the Mountain Home VAMC.”  Each requested transfer will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.