The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Flint Hills Medical Home on Junction City’s west side was held Friday morning.

The new clinic will serve the family members of Fort Riley’s active duty Soldiers along with military retiree’s and their family members that live within a 30 mile radius of the clinic.

Col. Risa Ware, Irwin Army Community Hospital Commander went over the benefits of the new clinic.

“It’s 12,500 square feet of primary care specific to Junction City and it’s community,” said Ware. “At its full capacity it will have seven provider teams, so seven Nurse Practitioners, PA’s or Physicians with their nursing support. We have a pharmacy, we have a lab. Everything that they are going to need is going to be right here in their community close to where they work, where they live, where their kids go to school without the hassle of having to go through the gate to come up to the main hospital.”

Flint Hills Medical Home is an extension of Irwin Army Community Hospital which serves up to 42,000 beneficiaries. At its capacity the clinic will provide care for 8,100 beneficiaries.

To make an appointment patients will still call the same appointment line but if they have an issue they will still be able to call the clinic directly. Ware said that the new clinic will also be encouraging patients to utilize the secure messaging system that is used across the Army,”which is secure e-mail with their providers.”

Ware did add that they are still hiring staff for the Pharmacy but when they have the full staff the Medical Home will be the first of the 19 other similar clinics across the nation to have a drive through pharmacy. The Pharmacy will only serve the patients at that clinic.