Shorter drives, faster care for local veterans From the cover
Current situation
VA clinic travel averages*
Temple VA hospital & clinic
Drive time
Distance
The VA operates a larger hospital and clinic in Temple, which many local veterans utilize because the southeast Austin and Cedar Park clinics are smaller, community-based outpatient clinics, Palladino said. “Veterans have to travel a long way,” he said. “Especially if they’re disabled veterans, you’re putting a burden on them. So, proximity is really important.” According to CTVHCS, more than 28,000 veterans within a 30-minute drive of the new Round Rock site were enrolled in the VA health care system as of 2019. For Georgetown residents and Vietnam veterans Steve and Diane Klutz, these new clinics could mean that the health care they receive will be closer to home, they said. “Definitely, if they had meeting areas for veterans for support groups, that would be nice [and] then you wouldn’t have to drive as far,” Diane Klutz said. “It’s the same as trying to get your records. It would be nice to be able to go to a closer clinic to get your blood work done and then go for your appointment.”
190
to Temple hospital to Austin clinic to Cedar Park clinic to Round Rock clinic
50 minutes- 1 hour
56 miles
Temple
24-35 minutes 20-28 minutes 16-26 minutes
25 miles
195
35
95
17 miles
NEW
13 miles
Round Rock VA clinic
Georgetown
Cedar Park VA clinic
29
Drive time
Distance
79
Round Rock
to Temple hospital to Austin clinic to Cedar Park clinic to Round Rock clinic
45 minutes- 1 hour
50 miles
Cedar Park
Hutto
28-40 minutes 24-35 minutes 9-16 minutes
31 miles
183
130 TOLL
24 miles
Austin
Austin VA clinic
290
7 miles
71
*BASED ON AVERAGE TRAFFIC AT 9 A.M. FROM CITY CENTERS. SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
N
Williamson County's 10-year veteran population outlook
Zooming in
The local impact
50K
With mental health services to be provided at the new Round Rock VA clinic, the Klutzes said they have both utilized these services at the Temple VA clinic for years. Steve Klutz began receiving VA health care after experiencing a mental health crisis following 9/11, and has since formed a strong bond with his psychiatrist. “Mental health-wise, when I went to them, … they understood PTSD, and it was good,” he said. “They offer many things to veterans, especially those of us who have been to Vietnam, or World War II or Korea—who have been in combat.” Diane Klutz said there are still some improve- ments the VA could make to address women’s health needs, but said her experience receiving mental health care has continued to improve. “I think the thing for a woman is that, even as early as after 9/11, and the first decade of the 21st century, they still didn’t know what to do with women a whole lot,” she said. “I think they’re working on that. I do my psychiatric stuff through them, and I’m very pleased with that side of it.”
The Round Rock clinic will provide pri- mary and preventive care, specialty services such as physical therapy, and mental health support, which Palladino said is usually only available at the main hospitals. Palladino also said the TVC will work to place health care advocates, who help schedule appointments, assist with claims and resolve billing issues, in the new clinics.
Projected
45K
43,174
40K
Round Rock clinic services
37,098
35K
Telehealth services On-site laboratory and imaging services Mental health counseling and therapy programs
Women’s health services Pharmacy support Specialty
30K
0
care such as cardiology, orthopedics and pain management
NOTE: PROJECTIONS WERE COLLECTED FROM THE VETPOP2023 DATASET. SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR VETERANS ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CENTRAL TEXAS VETERANS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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