Decatur VA Clinic to Remain Open During Shutdown

The Decatur VA Outpatient Clinic, operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, would remain open and unaffected by the pending federal government shutdown, according to the department.

But a shutdown would really hurt Decatur in the pocketbook if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at Emory furloughs employees. Many CDC workers live in Decatur.

Several VA hotlines to the federal department would shut down, including consumer affairs, life insurance, and billing issues. Hotlines that would remain operational include crisis prevention, medication by mail as well as the department’s national call center.

Inpatient and outpatient care, prescriptions and other medical-related services would not be affected, according to a flier published by the department. Decatur’s VA outpatient clinic is  at 755 Commerce Drive.

The offices of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson have also confirmed to Patch that they would remain open. Mail service will not be affected since the Postal Service is not a federal agency. 

would continue operating its emergency functions, even though many of its employees would be furloughed, in the event of a federal government shutdown.

“If we have a shutdown, there will be certain components of the CDC that would not be impacted,” according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the facility, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “And those operations would be the ones that pertain to the safety of human life and protection of property.”

The CDC’s emergency operations center, which has been activated ever since the Japanese earthquake and tsuami, and will keep operating. Immunization programs for children also will not be affected.

“We will be able to conduct outbreak investigations if needed,” the spokesperson said. “We also have some animals here on site, that we work with, and we will provide ongoing care for them. All operations as they pertain to the physical security of this location will continue.”

What could be impacted, however, are consultations with physicians trying to diagnose complex infections and diseases. Physicians around the world often request CDC consultation when faced with unusual illnesses. They also request that the CDC analyze their medical and laboratory test results.

One popular place on a hot day -- the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area -- would also close.