North Alabama veterans gained new medical options this year when the Huntsville VA specialty clinic expanded its services to include cardiology, urology and chemotherapy infusion. The additions aim to reduce the need for long trips to Birmingham for routine care.
Veterans welcome the new services
“Our base will always be Birmingham, but we want to bring the most common services people use so we can meet most of their needs,” said Dr. Ladi Kukoyi, executive director of the Birmingham VA Health Care System. “This clinic is a big step toward that goal.”
For veteran Tony Hernandez, the presence of an on‑site MRI machine made a critical difference. “I was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and because of their addition and ability to have an MRI machine, that’s the whole reason I was able to find out,” he explained, adding that the expansion has been “really helpful” to his treatment.
Remaining gaps in care
Despite the progress, the Huntsville clinic still lacks surgical services and dental care, forcing veterans to travel to Birmingham or other locations for those needs. Transportation assistance is available, but veteran Bobby Lee described the journey as consuming most of the day, even for brief appointments.
“It goes down early morning and comes back late in the afternoon,” Lee said. “Even if it’s just an in‑and‑out appointment, you’re stuck there pretty much the rest of the day.”
Veterans also report long wait times for referrals to outside providers. Hernandez noted a wait of over two and a half months for a local appointment, highlighting the ongoing challenge of timely access.
Future plans for the Huntsville area
The VA has secured approval for three additional clinics focused on women’s health, dental care and mental health services. Those facilities could open within the next two to three years, further expanding local options for veterans.
Lee summed up the sentiment of many veterans: “I’ll use a term we used to use in the Army. It’s putting a Band‑Aid on a sucking chest wound.” While the recent additions are a positive step, the community continues to call for a full‑scale VA hospital to fully meet the needs of Huntsville’s veteran population.
Original reporting: WAFF 48 Huntsville (news) — read the source article.
