VA says Rice Lake clinic to reopen at same site

Clinic in Hayward
The Minneapolis VA's outpatient clinic in Hayward, Wisconsin, will remain closed until the VA clinic in Rice Lake is fully operational.
Photo courtesy of the Veterans Administration

The Minneapolis VA says it will reopen the Rice Lake clinic -- this time with its own staff, not a private contractor. The VA says it reached an agreement with Kentucky-based Corporate Health and Wellness to take over the space it had been leasing.

Earlier this week, the VA opened a temporary facility at a Rice Lake motel. Patients will be seen there through the end of the day Friday.

The VA said negotiations continue over a financial settlement with the contractor while the VA arranges its own lease with the property owners. Employees who worked for the contractor will be allowed to apply with the VA for clinic jobs.

Corporate Health and Wellness also shut down the Hayward, Wisconsin, veterans clinic last week.

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The Hayward Clinic will stay closed until the Rice Lake clinic is fully operational, the VA said.

About 1,000 vets were enrolled to receive services at the clinics.

The Rice Lake clinic opened Sept. 26. The Hayward clinic opened June 5.

The two clinics serve a six-county area in which approximately 1,700 veterans live.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)