DOVER, De. - Veterans in Delaware will now have a new place to go to when it comes to getting the health care they need.
The new facility, located in the Blue Hen Mall plaza, offers more space for future growth than the VA outpatient clinic's former home on Governors Ave. The old VA clinic was just over 9,000 square feet, but the new VA clinic is nearly 29,000 square feet.
"We can expand some of the current services that are offered to veterans and introduce some new ones and all while increasing the size and increasing access for a growing population of veterans in central and southern Delaware," explained Jacob Dillon, Public Affairs Officer for the Wilmington VA Medical Center.
According to 2019 US Census data, which is the most recent available data, there are more than 17,000 veterans who call Kent county, and more than 18,000 living in Sussex county.
The clinic offers general health care, eye care, podiatry. physical therapy, psychiatry, women's health, blood work, and more. The expanded space will also help the VA clinic to grow into the space, and hopefully allow the VA to expand its services in the future, Dillon explained.
One veteran we spoke to said she was impressed with the space already.
"I'm very impressed! because the other area that they were in was small, and it was always crowded every time I went in there. So I am very happy that they moved to a new space," said Dawn Wright, an army veteran with 26 years of service.
While today was just it's first official day open, the clinic had a large turn out for COVID vaccine appointments. Wright told us she drove from Chestertown, Maryland to get her vaccine today.
"Real excited about that! Because in Maryland it's very hard to get. Very hard - you can put your name on a list, and you could actually wait about a month before you get called, so I'm very excited about that," she explained.
If you are a veteran, a spouse of a veteran, or a caregiver, you can also get your vaccine through the VA clinic. You can make your appointment by calling 302-633-5200, or by visiting www.wilmington.va.gov. If you are not currently enrolled, you will need to bring some paperwork with you, which you can read about here.
