A Conversation with Dearborn, Florence CBOCs staff
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 sercices at 12 location 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), Bellevue & Florence Kentucky, and Greendale Indiana.
Annette Ghent, Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s (VAMC) Nurse Manager for the Dearborn and Florence CBOCs, and Jessica Garland, a Medical Support Assistant Supervisor at the Florence CBOC, 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?
Ghent: The primary purpose of the CBOCs is to bring VA services closer to the Veterans’ homes in their community.
Do the CBOCs differ from each other in terms of what services are provided at each location?
Ghent: Both locations have primary care, women’s health, mental health, physical therapy, home-based care, optometry, podiatry, nutrition, clinical pharmacy services, Telehealth and Telederm, laboratory services, and audiology at the Florence CBOC.
What areas are served at the Bellevue and Hamilton CBOCs?
Ghent: At the Dearborn CBOC, Veterans typically come from the west side of Cincinnati all the way to Cleves, Ohio and Franklin County, Ind.
Garland: At the Florence CBOC, we see Veterans from as close as Boone County to as far out as Madison, Ind.
How has the pandemic impacted how you do business at the CBOCs?
Ghent: The pandemic opened up an interesting toolbox of modalities that we can provide. Although video appointments were available prior to COVID, we usually did face-to-face and phone appointments. Video has been big because it saves gas and time, and we can see the Veterans more frequently.
What makes these CBOCs unique from the other CBOCs and the main campus?
Ghent: At all six locations, the Veterans are unique because of the areas they live in. Dearborn and Florence have a lot of rural Veterans—blue collar, small farm town, country folks.
Garland: The staff are embedded in the community. They have a vested interest in their location and in providing top-notch care. We want Veterans to be proud of our CBOCs because this is their home.
Of the Veterans you serve, would you say more prefer to be seen at this CBOC as opposed to the main campus?
Garland: Our Veterans definitely want to stay local. They don’t want to deal with parking at the main campus, so we try our best to keep them local. It also makes a difference when you’re seeing the same faces. The staff knows the Veterans and it creates a more personable atmosphere.
What are your hopes for the future of these CBOCs?
Ghent: Dearborn will eventually be moving to provide more room and ancillary services. A new clinic is being built behind the St. Elizabeth Dearborn Hospital that will double the amount of clinical space available, so it will create as much access as possible.
Florence staff are working on creative ways to care for patients that allows Veterans to stay in one place. The Veterans won’t have to be shuffled around; once a patient is checked in, there’s a patient hallway separate of the staff hallway, sort of like an on-stage, off-stage type of thing where the patients spaces are clear of clutter and the backstage is where all of the magic happens.
For more information about the Dearborn and Florence CBOCs or to schedule an appointment, call 812-539-2313 for Dearborn and 859-282-4480 for Florence.