August 28, 2019 — The VA Clinic in Ukiah is looking for patients, according to its administration. This weekend, the clinic teamed up with Redwood Community Services or RCS, to co-sponsor a veterans wellness fair in Todd Grove Park.
Last year, RCS received a federal grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Association that allowed it to support people 0-21 years of age, and veterans. They used that grant to put on the fair, which included a spectrum of services intended to improve the quality of life for former military members.
About two dozen providers, from animal care to employment development, set up shop in the shade. Veterans could get a chiropractic treatment, eat a pancake breakfast, or take a few minutes to jump up and down in a bounce house.
I went to the fair for personal and professional reasons. I’m a veteran, and a few years ago, I tried to get an appointment at the VA clinic in Ukiah. I had a really hard time getting anyone on the phone, and finally I learned that it wasn’t taking any new patients. I got a veterans choice card in 2015, never bothered to find out what that meant, and decided the best approach was not to get sick. Then my mother died from a type of cancer that’s pretty easy to treat if you get regular checkups. I was feeling pretty inventivized to find out how I could take advantage of my benefits. I sat down with Drew Adams, the administrative officer for the Ukiah VA Clinc, and Keith Weathers, the member services representative. Adams said he’s been at the Ukiah clinic for about three and a half years.
The VA clinic is at 630 Kings Court in Ukiah, across the street from the DMV and the CHP, off Orchard street. Adams said it offers tele-health, as well as on-site primary care and women’s health, audiology and podiatry, visiting specialists in prosthetics and sleep studies, and a surgical clinician who does minor out-patient surgeries. The phone number is (707) 468-7749.