A Conversation with Bellevue, Hamilton CBOCs Nurse Manager
This article is part of a series about the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center Community-Based Outpatient Clinics.
The Cincinnati VA Healthcare System under the Department of Veteran Affairs provides health care services at 12 locations serving a 15-county catchment area in Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana. In addition to two hospital campuses (Cincinnati and Ft. Thomas, KY), the healthcare system includes seven community-based outpatient clinics (CBOC) located in Georgetown, Ohio - Hamilton (Butler County), Ohio - Eastgate (Clermont County), Ohio -Bellevue, Kentucky - Florence, Kentucky and Greendale, Indiana.
LeAnn Gindele, Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s (VAMC) Nurse Manager for the Bellevue and Hamilton CBOCs, joined us for an in-depth conversation about both clinics and how they serve Veterans in their communities.
What is the primary purpose of the CBOCs?
Gindele: The primary purpose of the CBOCs is to provide care for Veterans near their homes—in their communities.
How do the Bellevue and Hamilton CBOCs differ from the main campus?
Gindele: The CBOCs have a very relaxed atmosphere and community feel. They’re busy, but not packed with people and Veterans won’t have to go to multiple places to receive different services.
Do the CBOCs differ from each other in terms of what services are provided at each location?
Gindele: Bellevue is simple—services offered include mental health, nutrition, pharmacy, primary care, lab services, telehealth, and women’s health. We also have a social worker on staff who does family counseling.
For Hamilton, we offer all the same services, but we also have physical therapy, audiology, optometry, a Veterans Service Officer, and we’re hoping to have a peer health coach return to the clinic.
What areas are served at the Bellevue and Hamilton CBOCs?
Gindele: At Bellevue, we see Veterans as far south as Pendleton County, Bracken County, and even Maysville.
At our Hamilton location, we see a lot of Veterans between Hamilton and Dayton.
How has the pandemic impacted how you do business at the CBOCs?
Gindele: We’ve had to increase video capabilities and telephone appointments quite a bit, so that changes the way we care for Veterans. We’ve also had to ensure our high-risk patients are monitored and cared for extensively.
Do you find that Veterans have a preference to be seen in-person or via Telehealth at this time in the pandemic?
Gindele: We’ve given a lot of education on both appointment methods, and we like to start with a phone visit to figure out what the Veteran needs. We also facilitate resolutions for digital divides, which is when a Veteran may not have what they need to meet virtually, but it’s ultimately a decision made between the Veteran and their care team.
What makes these CBOCs unique from the other CBOCs and the main campus?
Gindele: Our CBOCs have a community feel. Veterans are living in the same community and coming to the same CBOC. Many times, staff find themselves chatting with Veterans in the lobby who live down the road from them. My favorite thing when working at Bellevue was that I got to take care of friends’ parents and grandparents.
For more information about the Bellevue and Hamilton CBOCs or to schedule an appointment, call 859-392-3840 for Bellevue and 513-870-9444 for Hamilton.