For Immediate Release: Monday, March 4, 2019

Veterans Affairs Primary Medical Clinic in Gaithersburg Now Fully Operational

The Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for veterans that was dedicated in September as Montgomery County’s only clinic for veterans, recently became fully operational and it has quickly demonstrated how much it was needed. In a short time, the clinic has surpassed the milestone of serving its 500th patient and is closing in on surpassing more than 3,500 visits.

The Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs advocated to the D.C. VA Medical Center for many years to open a clinic in the County. More than 300 people attended the dedication of the clinic, which is located at 15810 Gaither Drive in Gaithersburg. There is ample parking and the center is conveniently located to the Shady Grove Metro Station. The County’s Department of Transportation helped support easy access to the clinic by altering the route of Ride On Bus No. 63 and establishing a stop near the clinic entrance.

The facility, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, has many needed services and types of medical equipment on site, but perhaps its most important feature is its available scheduling. Most veterans get appointments within a week and the clinic also accepts some patients as walk-ins. It is estimated that more than 45,000 veterans live in Montgomery County.

“The veterans of this area have been in dire need of a clinic like this for decades,” said Dan Bullis, chair of the Montgomery Commission on Veterans Affairs. “Our commission relentlessly pushed for this and our federal elected officials—including Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and many others—made it happen. Among the things that make us most proud is that we have a great facility with an outstanding staff, and after so many horror stories around the nation of veterans waiting months, or longer, for appointments, we have a clinic that addresses the needs of our veterans almost immediately.”

Prior to the opening of the Montgomery County CBOC, the nearest Veterans Medical Center clinics available to Montgomery veterans were located in Camp Springs, MD; Southeast Washington, D.C.; Fort Detrick in Frederick; and Fort Belvoir, VA.

The planning for the center in Gaithersburg allowed it to open with services for women, veterans with mental health needs and for combat veterans and their families.

The Gaithersburg clinic has 11,600 square feet of space that provides primary care, mental health services, social work services, women's health and nutrition counseling and access to some specialty care via secure telehealth technology. It also has shared space for veterans’ service organizations that offer claims assistance and community resources to veterans. A counselor from the Silver Spring Veterans Center is available on-site to provide services for combat veterans and their family members.

Eligibility criteria for those who can be served by veterans’ clinics are determined by Congress.  For eligibility questions, or to book an appointment at the Montgomery clinic, veterans should call the Washington area’s main medical center at 202-745-8000. Select “Option 2” to make appointments.

More information about the Montgomery veterans’ clinic is available at http://tinyurl.com/y5v2ok4b. The clinic’s direct local number is 301-591-5858.

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Media Contacts: Neil H. Greenberger, 240-777-6532