VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

The first in the nation VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Caribou, ME celebrated its 25th Anniversary. A number of community leaders and hospital staff members took to the podium to express their gratitude and appreciation for our veterans.

The official ceremony included speeches from several community leaders, politicians and hospital staff who acknowledged the importance of having a community based VA clinic.

Ryan Lily, Director of VA Healthcare System said that veterans deserve excellent health care services.

‘Our veterans have earned their right to receive excellent health care through a number of programs we provide to them right here at CBOC,’ Lily said. ‘We are determined to make care more accessible for them.’

A group of volunteers, 25 years ago, decided to create a clinic that will help veterans who lived in rural communities. When the clinic first opened - it was just a room and a closet, but time passed and that same clinic expanded.

Kris Doody, CEO of Cary Medical Center, was once a nurse at the same clinic.

‘As a staff nurse and having a father and a brother who have served in the military - I appreciate the importance of having VA service close to home,’ Doody said.

CBOC continues to expand and grow today. The clinic is currently working on several important projects that will provide even better services for our veterans. Congressman Mike Michaud, a ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health congratulated the medical staff for the outstanding job they’ve done through the years.

‘Your pioneering efforts and hard work here in Caribou serve as a model for the nation, and you’re still breaking new ground today,’ Michaud said. ‘Ensuring that our veterans have access to quality health care must always be a priority.’