PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – After nearly three years of construction, veterans in Aroostook County can access crucial medical services at the new Veterans Administration Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Presque Isle.
The 7,500-square-foot facility at 732 Main St. replaces the VA outpatient clinic in Caribou and is 50 percent larger. The new clinic has modernized exam rooms, private offices for mental health consultations and telehealth appointments and an in-house laboratory. VA leaders and veterans groups have advocated for a larger clinic in Aroostook to expand services and decrease the need for veterans to travel downstate.
Thirty five people will work out of the facility, which will begin serving patients Monday, April 29. The goal is to serve approximately 1,500 to 5,500 of Aroostook County’s veterans directly at the site, said Clinic Nurse Manager Diann Dee-Dobson.
VA leaders, veterans, clinic staff and members of Maine’s congressional delegation gathered at the Presque Isle clinic Friday for an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting.
Unlike the former Caribou location, the new clinic’s modern equipment and design aligns better with the VA’s PACT model of healthcare – Patient Aligned Care Team – a team-based approach that focuses on veterans’ overall health, Dee-Dobson said.
“A veteran can remain in one room and have every service come to them,” Dee-Dobson said. “We have all staff members on site and veterans can access any specialized services through telehealth.”
Both Maine and Aroostook County have a long history of leading the nation in innovative healthcare for rural veterans, said Tracye Davis, medical center director of the VA Maine Healthcare System.
Maine opened the country’s first VA clinic in 1866 after the Civil War. Advocacy from World War II and Korean War veterans led to Aroostook starting the country’s first Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in 1987.
Davis presented a special plaque to Diana Gehring of Bridgewater, whose father, late World War II veteran Charles Park, was one of the veterans who advocated for the Caribou facility.
Today, Maine has Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Presque Isle, Bangor, Lewiston, Lincoln, Rumford, Portland and Saco.
Aroostook has two satellite veterans clinics in Fort Kent and Houlton. The Presque Isle outpatient clinic has been in the works since 2021, and its opening comes after many construction delays due to supply chain issues and worker shortages.
“This [new Presque Isle clinic] is an example of how Maine continues to lead the way for veterans and live up to the state’s motto ‘Dirigo’ [‘I Lead’],” said U.S. Army Brigadier General Diane Dunn, adjutant general for the Maine National Guard. The Loring Honor Guard presented the flags of the U.S. military.
The Friday ceremonies also featured remarks from U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, U.S. Sen. Angus King and Trisha House, state office representative for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
