By David Esteppe
After the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) deemed the Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Maxwelton as being unsafe for veterans and staff due to failing air quality values within the building, the facility will now remain closed as a CBOC.
Alternative locations for an outpatient clinic to replace the Maxwelton facility are being sought by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The director of the Beckley VA Medical Center (VAMC) decided to stop all clinic operations at the Maxwelton facility as of Apr. 13. VAMC public affairs officer Debbie Voloski explained to the Mountain Messenger that this decision allows area veterans to be eligible to use their Veterans’ Choice benefits, allowing authorization for care by local healthcare providers. If the nearest VA clinic is more than 40 miles from a veteran’s home, they are permitted to seek healthcare by local providers.
Veterans who were relying on the Maxwelton clinic are also continuing to receive care at the Beckley VAMC. Voloski added, “The VA is committed to providing quality accessible care to veterans in the Greenbrier Valley. The Beckley VAMC is here, and the Veterans’ Choice benefits will assure this, while other locations are considered for additional CBOC facilities.”
In a VAMC public affairs press release from March, it was reported that air quality samples taken the Maxwelton clinic by NIOSH had obtained quantifiable levels of formaldehyde that met or exceeded recommended exposure levels of 16 parts per billion, causing the clinic to close down indefinitely at that time. It is now closed permanently.
Ads by the VA have been running in area newspapers in search of a 5,000 square foot building befitting of becoming the next CBOC in Greenbrier Valley.