Veterans in Warren County and surrounding communities received welcome news as Congressman Scott DesJarlais announced that the McMinnville VA Clinic will remain open for the foreseeable future.
DesJarlais met with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and said an agreement has been reached for the clinic to remain open under direct VA management and staffing.
The announcement follows months of uncertainty surrounding the future of the McMinnville facility.
In March, it was announced that the McMinnville VA Clinic, which was operated by a private contractor, would close its doors on May 31. The VA cited the clinic as underperforming.
Following the announcement, DesJarlais began pushing for answers and expressing concerns about the potential impact the closure would have on veterans who rely on the McMinnville clinic for healthcare services.
DesJarlais said his office worked with Collins, VA officials, local leaders, clinic staff and community partners while raising concerns about transparency surrounding the proposed closure and the loss of rural healthcare access for veterans in Tennessee's Fourth Congressional District.
Those efforts resulted in a temporary reprieve in May, when Collins agreed to keep the clinic open through Dec. 31, 2026.
Now, that temporary extension has turned into a longer-term solution.
DesJarlais announced that the clinic will remain open under VA management, with plans to staff the McMinnville facility with full-time VA employees. Collins and DesJarlais also discussed efforts to improve the quality of care provided at the facility.
Collins thanked DesJarlais for his persistence in working with the VA to find a solution that would allow veterans in Warren and surrounding counties to continue receiving care locally.