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Navy Corpsman Steve Andrews Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Clinic Dedication Ceremony

PRESS RELEASE

August 8, 2022

Gaylord , MI — The Aleda E. Lutz VAMC held a dedication ceremony at the Gaylord VA outpatient clinic on Thursday, August 4, 2022, naming it after the late Navy Corpsman Steve Andrews.

The clinic is located at 2782 S. Otsego Avenue, Gaylord, MI 49735.

“It was a distinct honor to be a part of the ceremony and have the clinic named after Mr. Andrews, a cherished member of the Gaylord community,” stated Ms. Carol Dopp, the Medical Center’s Associate Director. “It was truly a beautiful ceremony, and we were pleased to have the family be part of it as well. We were happy to have our state and federal legislators present, especially Congressman Bergman, who was influential in driving the bill to have the clinic named after Mr. Andrews.”

Mr. Andrews entered the U.S. Navy in 1967 as a Hospital Corpsman then subsequently served at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Guam and as a medic with the 1st Marine Division and Marine 1st Force Reconnaissance Company in Vietnam. For his actions in combat in Vietnam, and for saving the lives of countless Marines, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and received the Purple heart. Following his military service, Mr. Andrews worked as an entrepreneur and was later elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, representing Northern Michigan’s 106th District. After serving two terms, he turned his efforts to building his family and business. He coached thousands of kids in baseball, football and more. He also served on the board of trustees of North Central Michigan College and was president of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Gaylord clinic first opened October 7, 1985 and was newly built and opened on August 18, 2020. The building is 20,000 square feet and is a 100% increase in overall space from the previous building/location. The services provided to our Veterans include primary care, mental health, optometry, laboratory services, same-day primary care, physical therapy, home-based primary care, telemedicine, women’s health and whole health services. The clinic is also one of our Veteran Transportation Service pickup points in which a government driver escorts Veterans to Saginaw, Ann Arbor or Detroit VA medical centers for their appointments and bring them back the same day.

The Aleda E. Lutz VAMC in Saginaw, Michigan operates an 81-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation Community Living Center.  It provides care to over 38,263 Veterans in a 35-county geographic area, from mid-Michigan to the Mackinac Bridge.  Veterans can also receive care at one of our nine VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics located throughout Michigan.   More information about this VA can be found at www.va.gov/saginaw-health-care/.  

Media contacts

Tara Scheuer, Public Affairs Officer

989-497-2500, ext. 13010

tara.scheuer@va.gov

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