Changes For Georgia Health Care Facilities Eight new community based outpatient clinics and expansion of the Spinal Cord Injury Center at Augusta are part of a comprehensive plan by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize its nationwide system of health care facilities, officials announced today. "These changes will provide greater access to care for veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "By strengthening our network of outpatient clinics, we will bring a greater quality of care closer to where most of Georgia’s veterans live." About 120,000 of Georgia’s 746,000 veterans were treated last year in VA’s health care facilities, up from 94,000 in 2000.  In 2003, VA spent $1.8 billion in Georgia, an increase from $1.3 billion three years before. Secretary Principi noted that about 80 percent of the health care provided by VA is outpatient care.  He said the plan would enable the department to enhance its ability to provide more of the outpatient care veterans want and use, while building upon VA's expertise in providing highly specialized inpatient care. The changes are part of a comprehensive plan called CARES, short for "Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services." CARES is a plan to modernize and improve VA's health care system.  Among the elements of the Secretary’s CARES decision are more than 150 new community based outpatient clinics, potential creation of four new - and expansion of five existing - spinal cord injury centers. Principi’s announcement includes the following enhancements for Georgia: Improve access to primary and mental health care with new community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) proposed for Athens, Brunswick, Milledgeville, Noonan, Perry, Stockbridge, Camden and Hinesville Expand Spinal Cord Injury Center at the Augusta VA Medical Center Renovate inpatient wards in Atlanta Develop a plan to optimize space at the Uptown Division of the Augusta VAMC Retain inpatient medical services at Dublin and convert surgery beds to observation beds