Ladder trucks from Rumford and Dixfield fire departments display American flags at the entrance for Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Rumford VA clinic. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
RUMFORD — The VA Maine Healthcare System held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning for the new Rumford Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
The clinic, located at 10 Railroad St. on the Business Island, will open on Tuesday.
“This clinic is going to connect our veterans to the resources and state-of-the-art technology that we have throughout VA Maine, throughout VA New England and beyond,” said Tracye Davis, VA Maine’s medical center director.
Keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, addresses attendees of Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Rumford VA clinic, which officially opens Tuesday. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, the keynote speaker for the event, invoked President Abraham Lincoln, who famously spoke about the nation’s responsibility to care for veterans.
“March 4, 1865, (Lincoln’s) second inaugural address, which included the following passage: ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations,'” King said.
The new 7,200-square-foot, single-level facility will replace the former outpatient clinic located on Franklin Street in Rumford.
Jonathan Barczyk, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said the clinic will include and increase access to primary care, mental health, blood draw and virtual care services. Home-based primary care will also be based out of this location.
Members of the Mountain Valley High School band, with Director Mike Prescott, perform music and vocals Friday during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Rumford VA Clinic. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
“This is a great step forward for veterans in the River Valley,” said Carlene Tremblay, state office representative for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “This community-based outpatient clinic will greatly enhance VA services for the men and women who defend our nation and our freedom.”
Lab services and conference rooms will be accessible from lobby areas. Additional exam rooms included in the new building will facilitate a better experience for veterans and improve the efficiency of staff, according to information from the VA.
Furthermore, staff on the veteran’s care team will work together in a shared space, strengthening communication pertaining to the coordination of veteran care.
“We’re very lucky here in Maine to have compassionate and caring people who care for our veterans,” said Kim Rohn, state office representative for U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District.
Barrett Franklin, VA New England’s healthcare system deputy network director, said that during the Memorial Day weekend, “Our thoughts will be with those veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. For those who work here, every day is like Memorial Day.”
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