Clinic staff at the 25th Anniversary Luncheon
“The history of the CBOC in Caribou…..began long
before the ribbon cutting, when seven Aroostook County
veterans dedicated themselves to the mission of improving
access to critical healthcare services to the veterans living
in their communities. To accomplish this goal, they
established the Aroostook County Veterans Medical Facility
Research and Development, Inc. The initial members were:
Richard Pratt, Leonard Woods Sr., Dewey Ouellette, Roy
Doak, John Rowe, Meo Bosse, Walter Corey, Raphael
Guerrette, Everett Roberts, Edward Dahlgren, Jack Stewart,
Val Jandreau, George Morin, Percy Thibeault and Wesley
Adams,” Senator Collins’ statement continued. “Over a span
of eight years, they committed themselves to convincing the
VA to establish a veterans’ health clinic in Caribou. They
were joined along the way by other concerned veterans,
community members and Cary Medical Center, and a
number of Maine veterans service organizations. Their
initiative paid off eight years later…Out veterans in rural
areas throughout the United States benefit
today from the dedication of this landmark
work. CBOC’s are a vital part of veteran
health services today.”
Ryan Lilly, Director Maine VA
Healthcare System spoke about the
strong relationship that has been built
between Cary Medical Center and
the Veterans Hospital at Togus at the
anniversary luncheon. He pointed
to the growth in services that
has occurred over the past
25 years and talked
about plans to expand
the current clinic
to meet the
demands of
growing
numbers of
Ve t e r a n s
who are utilizing the facility and his commitment to keep
the VA clinic on the Cary campus.
Dr. Michael Mayo-Smith VA New England Network
Director also attended the event and spoke about the need
for continued support of healthcare for Veterans living in
rural areas. He spoke about the quality of the staff at the
VA clinic in Caribou and said that the model that has been
established in Caribou has been key to the a