Mishawaka VA Clinic celebrates one year of service

MISHAWAKA, Ind. –

The St. Joseph County VA Health Care Center will host a celebration on Tuesday to celebrate one year since the doors opened in Mishawaka.

Over the last year, the clinic has provided care for more than 11,000 veterans. It has also created nearly 200 jobs in the community.

Patrick Erdes, a local Army veteran, says the new facility exceeded his expectations.

“The facility here, if you see it, it’s great. Even the staff here, I mean a lot of them are the same faces that you would see at the old location but even you can tell they're excited about being in this new place,” said Erdes. “After a couple of visits here you can definitely see that it's awesome."

Erdes was injured while serving in Korea. He says having the support of the facility and staff is crucial for all veterans.  

"It's everything,” he said. “When people come back there are single soldiers that might not know where to go for help and then there are people that need taken care of. I mean the resources here are just amazing. There are times I've come here when I didn't even have an appointment and they were still able to take care of me.”

The clinic established 30 services over the last year. There are also plans to add improved transportation to the clinic for veterans with physical disabilities and add a wellness program in the future.

The one-year celebration will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the clinic. It is open to the public.

Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will join VA leaders in speaking at the event.

Following the event until 3 p.m. there will be an art show featuring work from area veterans.

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. local Veterans can visit the clinic for a benefits fair. The Veterans Benefits Administration, Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration and county Veteran service officers are just a few of the groups that will be in attendance at the fair to answer questions.

For more information about the event, guests are asked to call the Northern Indiana Public Affairs Office at 260-426-5431, extension 71520.