+--------------------------------+------------------+-----------------+
|                                | # Atlanta V      | ##              |
|                                | A Medical Center |  For more infor |
|                                |                  | mation, contact |
|                                | # 167            |  Candace Hull,  |
|                                | 0 Clairmont Road |                 |
|                                |                  | ## Public       |
|                                | **Atlanta, GA    | Affairs Officer |
|                                | 30033**          |                 |
|                                |                  | **(404)         |
|                                |                  | 417-5385**      |
+--------------------------------+------------------+-----------------+
| **Department of**              | ### News Release |                 |
|                                |                  |                 |
| **Veterans Affairs**           |                  |                 |
+--------------------------------+------------------+-----------------+

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2006

## 

# Atlanta VA Dedicates its Largest Community Clinic in East Point 

ATLANTA, GA -- The Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center will
hold a dedication ceremony for its newest and largest outpatient clinic
in East Point, Ga. The event will be held Wednesday, June 14, 2006 at 2
p.m., 1513 East Cleveland Avenue (Historic Buggy Works Office Park);
East Point, Ga. 30344.

The VA East Point Community-Based Outpatient Clinic provides primary
care and outpatient mental health to approximately 8,000 enrolled
veterans, thereby making it the largest of four VA community-based
outpatient clinics in metro-Atlanta. (Other VA community-based clinics
in metro-Atlanta include the Smyrna, Oakwood and Lawrenceville
locations.)

"One of the greatest benefits of the East Point clinic is that it brings
health care to veterans right where they live," said James Clark, Acting
Director of the Atlanta VA Medical Center. "Placing clinics in the
community makes it easier for veterans to get the care they need when
they need it."

The dedication of the East Point clinic also marks a relatively new
academic partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and
Morehouse School of Medicine. The VA East Point clinic is exclusively
affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine, which is only 1 of 3
historically black medical schools in the country. The affiliation
provides training opportunities for Morehouse medical students, and
allows for research and clinical collaborations between the two
institutions.

"We're thrilled about partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine,"
said Clark. "Their medical students and residents get to receive
excellent hands-on experience, and we have the distinct privilege of
working with a fine institution to help train the physicians of
tomorrow."

Prior to the establishment of the VA East Point Clinic, the clinic was
located in Midtown Atlanta, where it originated in 1997. As the demand
for services grew, the small Midtown clinic was moved to the VA Medical
Center's main campus in Decatur.

Upon becoming affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine in August
2005, the clinic transferred from the VA's main campus to a temporary
clinic location in East Point, Ga. In May 2005, the clinic relocated to
its permanent location in the Historic Buggy Works Office Park, East
Point, Ga.

An official dedication ceremony for the VA East Point Clinic will be
held June 14, 2006. The event is free and open to the public.

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**About the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center**

The Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center is a comprehensive
health care provider for nearly 60,000 veterans, offering primary care,
tertiary care, and long-term care services. The medical center operates
173 hospital beds, a 100-bed nursing home, and is the parent location
for VA community-based outpatient clinics in East Point, Smyrna,
Lawrenceville and Oakwood, Georgia. The Atlanta VA is also a referral
center for radiation oncology and other specialized services for
facilities within the VA Southeast Network, which is comprised of
Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. The Atlanta VA is affiliated with
numerous institutes of higher learning, and has maintained an active
affiliation with the Emory University School of Medicine for more than
50 years. Additionally, the medical center launched a partnership with
the Morehouse School of Medicine in August 2005 through collaborative
teaching, research and clinical care initiatives at the VA East Point
clinic. The Atlanta VA Medical Center also boasts a \$28 million
research program, which is highly regarded and involves more than 600
projects conducted by more than 140 principal investigators.

**About Morehouse School of Medicine**

The Morehouse School of Medicine is a historically black institution
established to recruit and train minority and other students as
physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals
committed to the primary health care needs of the underserved.

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