JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Veterans in Chautauqua County now have a new one-stop shop for medical services.

What You Need To Know

  • Jamestown has a new VA Clinic 
  • A ribbon cutting, rifle salute, and flag raising were all part of Thursday's ceremony
  • The clinic offers a variety of services, under one roof, close to home 
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Peter Carlo, 89, of Jamestown is a veteran of the Korean War.

"We knew they were talking peace. And I was there the day that they signed the truce, and to me that's an honor," said Carlo.

He was stationed there from 1951 to 1954.

"A lot of us came back wounded. We have disabilities that incurred during the service. And this gives us some place to go to get some medical support," said Carlo.

Carlo was on hand Thursday for the grand opening of the new VA Clinic on Hazeltine Road in Jamestown.

It's a place where he can continue to get physical therapy, medication, and equipment.

"As I get older, of course, things get a little tougher for me. And this is very, very important to us. Very, very happy that they got this here. This here is a beautiful place. It's large, it's big and they have a lot of good services here for all our veterans," said Carlo.

"We have a lot of elderly patients. We also have a lot of patients that have disabilities," said Jennifer Switaj, Jamestown VA Clinic manager.

The clinic offers a variety of services like telehealth, behavioral health, and cardiology.

"So getting transport to the VA hospital, it's a lot harder to travel. And it's also a hardship for their family members to take them," said Switaj.

"Which might detract them from actually seeking out the health care, thereby making them sicker or not seeking the treatment they deserve," said Greg Carlson, Chautauqua County Veterans Service Agency director.

County leaders say while Jamestown has offered community-based outpatient services since 1995, the clinic provides a new way of care under one roof, closer to home.  

"If you're not evolving, if you're not changing, you're going away. So, like everything else, the VA wants to become more efficient, they want to provide better care," said Carlson.

To those like Carlo, who says he appreciates what's given to him in exchange for what he gave to his country.

"That our time in service was well spent, and that our time spent here back in civilian life is being well protected," said Carlo.