Veterans clinic to open on East End

The new East End Veterans Affairs Clinic at the Riverhead County Center will open in early May, Suffolk County Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches) has announced.

The 4,300-square-foot clinic, operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will provide physical and mental health care for veterans and is expected to treat about 3,000 a year.

The facility, housed at the Evans K. Griffing County Center at 300 Center Dr., will have six exam rooms, two counseling rooms, an administrative space and a lobby. Mental health care services will be offered starting May 2; physical care will be available starting May 4.

Veterans living on the East End will be able to get treatment closer to home rather than going to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, the next closest facility.

"We owe it to our veterans to provide a top-notch health facility on the East End ..." Romaine, who backed the center's creation, said in a news release.