Wiregrass veterans will soon have a new facility closer to home for health care services.

News 4 attended Monday’s ribbon cutting at the Marianna Veterans Clinic.

The new community based outpatient clinic located in Marianna, Florida will soon be opening its doors to veterans.

The facility will be accepting applications from new patients in early June and will be open for medical care by the middle of the month.

Congressman Allen Boyd, (D) 2nd District of Florida said, “Our goal is to have a clinic located geographically, where any veteran can drive in this country no more than 30 miles or 30 minutes to get the services provided by that clinic and this is a big step in the north Florida area.”

The clinic will be a primary care facility that can also provide mental health services, treat chronic diseases and perform wellness screenings.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Scott Hanson said, “We have two teams of doctors, lots of exam rooms and we hope we can meet the needs for as many veterans in Jackson County and surrounding counties as we can in the near future.”

Local veterans seeking basic care are looking forward to a shorter trip to the doctor.

WW II Veteran C.W. Henderson said, “For me at my age, I think it's going to be a blessing to not have to drive into Tallahassee anytime I want to attend a clinic.”

Veterans seeking more specialized care will still have a longer drive.

WW II Veteran Bill Gardner said, “I have to go to Pensacola for audiology because the clinics aren't set up for hearing aids. So, that's about 140 miles to Pensacola one way from my house.”

The clinic is only accepting new applicants for now. So, health care officials encourage established veterans to have patience.

The facility will eventually accept transfers from other veterans’ clinics.

If you would like more information about the new veterans’ clinic, you can contact John Turner with the Jackson County Veterans Service Office at 850-718-0003.