The North’s Newest VA Clinic

Adding Up the Impact

By Lynda Wheatley | Oct. 30, 2021

Until February 2020, northwest Lower Michigan veterans had only a few options for VA medical care: the VA medical center in Saginaw, or the VA clinics in Grayling, Gaylord, or Cheboygan. Then the Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic opened its doors in Traverse City — just in time for the pandemic.

We checked in with the clinic, which offers primary care, physical therapy, women’s health, and lab services, to find out how many local vets the new facility has drawn. Tara Scheuer, public affairs officer at the Aleda E. Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw tells us that at last count, the Traverse City clinic has 7,081 enrolled veterans and has given more than 1,44O COVID-19 vaccines. (Their booster vaccine program, kicked off Oct. 30 and is expected to immunize 220+ veterans.)

Scheuer adds that the Craw Clinic has conducted several local events each season, like its frequent Brats and Shots curbside flu clinics and health screenings at partnering American Legion and VFW organizations, all of which have helped the clinic reach and sign up new veterans.

If you’re a veteran living in or near Traverse City who hasn’t yet signed up to be seen at the Craw clinic, you might find it worth your while — at least compared to other area clinics. According to Veterans Affairs’ Access to Care data, the TC clinic has a wait time of 18 days for new patients; the Cadillac VA, just an hour away, is currently at 30.
 
Find the Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic — named for Traverse City native and Medal of Honor recipient who died in World War II — at 701 US Highway 31 South, (231) 932-9720.