An official ceremony took place Thursday morning in front of the new clinic at 321 Hazeltine Ave. in Jamestown. The office, which provides a variety of medical services to local veterans, moved from West Third Street.

“We are continuing to ensure easy access to health care for veterans and are pleased to have this clinic for veterans in Chautauqua County,” said Danielle Bergman, assistant director for the VA Western New York Healthcare System. “The Jamestown clinic was actually the VA Western New York Healthcare System’s very first community-based outpatient clinic, and it opened its doors in 1995. We are so excited to be able to continue that health care right here in Chautauqua County.”

“Establishing clinics throughout Western New York was our goal to bring VA care closer to home for veterans, ensuring that they had easy access to care to stay healthy,” she continued. “To date, we have seen seven VA clinics throughout Western New York in addition to the medical centers in Buffalo and in Batavia, serving over 50,000 veterans.”

Greg Carlson, Chautauqua County director of veterans services, noted the abundance of options for veterans within the county, including the outpatient clinics in Jamestown and at the D&F Plaza on Central Avenue in Dunkirk.

Members of the local American Legion unit are pictured raising a flag in front of the new outpatient clinic.

“In talking to some of my colleagues throughout the country and throughout the state they are hours, plural, away from their closet community-based outpatient clinic. So, our access here in Chautauqua County is fantastic.”

Added Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist: “One of the largest things that we hear along the way is that we want to ensure that every man and woman that we sent to the front lines, that we sent to serve our nation, is to come home and get the care that they deserve and need for the work that they’ve done on behalf of our country. I’m very excited that we can continue, for the next decade at least, to have a clinic here in the city of Jamestown to continue to serve the needs of all our veterans.”

State Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, said he was so excited to see the new clinic that he arrived an hour too early for Thursday’s ceremony. Nonetheless, he applauded the past 25 years of service provided in the Jamestown area, stating that area veterans have access to a “group of people who are dedicated to ensuring their health. This is a great approach and bodes well for all of our veterans.”

The move to a new location was not without some criticism. Over the summer, a group of local veterans sought to delay the relocation of the clinic due to a planned cut from two full-time equivalent health care providers — a full-time physician and a full-time nurse practitioner — to 1.6 that would include a full-time physician and a part-time nurse practitioner.

The cut was set to begin Nov. 1.