BINGHAMTON – Yesterday morning, April 20, a special ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held in Binghamton to unveil the new VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) – a clinic that will offer primary care, behavioral care, and specialty services to local veterans.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, State Senator Fred Akshar, and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo were among those in attendance at the celebration, and each made remarks following the ribbon cutting to express their contentment with the new VA clinic’s opening, as well as gratitude to the veterans it will serve.

“As a federal representative, it’s one of our primary duties to protect our vets,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “And to ensure they will receive the kind of care that [the Binghamton VA CBOC] is going to be giving them in this new facility, and for them have access in the Binghamton area without having to drive to Syracuse or elsewhere.”

The facility, which was formerly an extension of the Sheltered Workshop for the Disabled across the street, has been a longtime undertaking of Upstate Companies I, LLC – a locally owned and Mount Upton based company offering construction and general contracting services. Members of Upstate Companies I, LLC were also in attendance to see its hard work go live.

“This is a critically important thing for our veterans,” said Senator Akshar. “None of this happens without the vision and dedication of the developer, [Facility Owner] Mark Yonaty. Mark is a friend not only to veterans but to people of the Southern Tier.”