America's Best VA Clinic

AMERICA'S BEST VA CLINIC -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 08, 2004)

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I want to call the nation's attention to the exemplary work done by the staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic in Bennington, Vermont. Recently, the Federal Executive Association gave its "Federal Employee of the Year Award" to the entire Bennington VA Clinic staff.

As the Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) housed at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, the facility and its staff serves the primary health care needs of eligible veterans in the region of southwestern Vermont. Over 1800 veterans in Vermont get exceptional medical care from Dr. Peter King and his colleagues in the clinic. As a sign of their remarkable dedication to the health and well-being of veterans, the Bennington VA Clinic was rated among the top ten clinics in the nation in ten of twelve categories. Ranking so highly among the more than 850 community-based VA clinics is a clear indication of the extraordinary work done by the Bennington staff,

Established in 1998, the Bennington VA Clinic affords veterans a single primary care provider to coordinate their care on an ongoing basis. It, along with the Fort Ethan Allen CBOC in Colchester, the CBOC in Rutland, and the CBOC in Littleton, NH (which serves veterans in the St. Johnsbury area), makes primary medical care more accessible to those who cannot always make the long journey to our excellent VA facilities in White River Junction.

We in Vermont are proud both of our veterans, and of the dedicated people who honor them by meeting their medical needs.

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