Community-Based Outpatient Clinic
a landmark achievement
By U.S. Sen. Susan Collins
(R-Maine)
Twenty-five years ago, Caribou, Maine, served as the proving ground upon which America has built a nationwide system that delivers much improved access to medical services for America’s rural veterans. This silver anniversary celebration recognizes the untiring commitment by Cary Medical Center, the Veterans Administration, local veterans, and this entire community that transformed health care for the men and women who defend our nation and our freedom.
Our nation’s first Community-Based Outpatient Clinic held its formal opening here in Caribou on June 13, 1987. The impact was immediate — no longer would the veterans of Aroostook County have to endure a 10-hour round-trip to the nearest VA hospital. Today, the Caribou CBOC serves up to 120 veterans per day, with more than 9,000 care visits annually. The pioneering work done here in Caribou has been a profound benefit to America’s 3.5 million rural veterans who now receive care close to home at more than 800 CBOCs throughout the country.
But the story of the great advancement in health care began eight years before that formal opening when seven Aroostook County veterans devoted themselves to the mission of improving access to critical health care services in this region. The original members of Aroostook County Veterans Medical Facility Research and Development, Inc. — Percy Thibeault, Meo Bosse, John Rowe, Ray Guerrette, Wesley Adams, Walter Corey and Leonard Woods, Jr. — faced many obstacles along the way and overcame them all. These patriots exemplify a special quality of the American veteran by continuing to serve long after their service in uniform was done.
That great mission would not have been accomplished without the dedication and expertise of Cary Medical Center, and the involvement of Bill Flagg. As the American Hospital Association noted in its Award of Honor presentation last year, Cary Medical Center has made exemplary contributions in the critical area of veterans’ health care and established a national model.
Veterans here in Aroostook County and throughout America are grateful for Cary’s leadership. Joining in that formal opening a quarter-century ago were the Maine leaders who fought hard for this clinic — Gov. John McKeman, Senators George Mitchell and William Cohen, and then Congresswoman Olympia Snowe. I served on Senator Cohen’s staff at the time, and I know how difficult the challenges were. As a Senator today, I am determined to continue those early efforts on behalf of our rural veterans.
Last June, to mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the formal opening, I submitted to the Congressional Record a statement commemorating the landmark achieved in Caribou, Maine, that now reaches throughout our nation. I concluded that statement with these words:
“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country. We owe them all that we can do to ensure they receive the best care possible. The seven men who fought for the Caribou CBOC knew that, and we honor their dedication to their fellow veterans by carrying on their work.”
