Four of the facilities will be in Oklahoma, one of which to be built in Altus. The other Oklahoma locations are in Craig County, Enid and Jay.
"VA continues to make access to care easier through an expanding outpatient system focused not only on primary treatment but also prevention of disease, early detection, and health promotion," Peake said.
The new clinics, scheduled to be activated over the next 15 months, will increase VA's network of independent and community-based clinics to 782, an increase of more than 100 in five years.
This growth in community clinics has helped VA meet veterans' expectations for prompt, quality service, with 98 percent of veterans see within 30 days in all types of VA primary care facilities throughout the country.
In addition to on-site primary care staff, today's modern outpatient clinics frequently feature state-of-the-art telehealth systems permitting veterans to maintain regular contact with doctors in specialties fro cardiac care to mental health at regional VA hospitals linked for video consultations, coupled with telemetry of health data or images.
A highly acclaimed national health records system allows practitioners at even remote clinics to review patient records stored at VA facilities anywhere in the country.
VA's 21 regional networks develop applications for new clinics in consideration of reducing the distance veterans travel to their nearest VA hospital or clinic, as well as local demand, existing hospital, clinic workload and other factors.
Oklahoma 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas welcomed the announcement saying he is pleased to have work closely with the Department of of Veterans Affairs, David Wood, the director of the Oklahoma City Veterans Medical Center, and the veterans of Enid and Altus to help bring these clinics to their cities.
Once the VA establishes the clinics, area doctors and nurses will donate their time or work for a reduced rate to serve the healthcare needs of veterans in their area.
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