After roughly four years of speculation and numerous Veterans Affairs clinics popping up in Minnesota, the Mower-Freeborn area may be getting one of its own.

“I think it would be utilized greatly, by not only veterans in our immediate area, but also northern Iowa, and it would save a lot of trips to the VA medical center in Minneapolis,” said Jon Rhiger, Freeborn County Veteran Services officer.

He added that such a facility would be a primary care and mental health clinic.

Though potential locations include, Austin, Albert Lea and Owatonna, Rhiger said Albert Lea may be the front-runner.

“I believe we meet the ideal criteria as far as location,” he said.

A Freeborn clinic could serve a larger base of veterans, as Albert Lea lies along the intersection of two interstate highways — 90 and 35. Furthermore, Rhiger said there are a lot of northern Iowa veterans who could benefit from that location. For many of those veterans, visiting a VA clinic is a toss up between Mankato or Rochester.

Mower County Veteran Services Officer Wayne Madson thinks Freeborn County is most likely to get the clinic, but he still hopes Austin has a chance.

“Of course we would love to have it here,” he said.

There are still unknowns, however. A new VA clinic in southeastern Minnesota hasn’t been approved in the 2012 federal budget, and other factors are pending.

The biggest decision, Rhiger said, is whether a clinic will be a VA-staffed clinic or a contracted service.

That will be completely dependent upon the 2012 budget. A VA-staffed clinic could mean a new facility, while a contracted service could mean leasing an existing building.

Rhiger hopes for a VA-staffed clinic, as VA employees already know how the infrastructure of prescriptions and appointments are offered for veterans.

“I’m kind of in favor of one that’s VA staffed because they know how the (main hospital) in Minneapolis works,” he said.

However, Madson thinks any VA clinic started in the area would likely be contracted through a nearby medical center. If it were in Austin or Albert Lea, he said, a clinic would likely be housed inside one of the Mayo Clinic Health System branches.

“I don’t know how Mayo Clinic feels about that,” he said. “That’s all on a different level.”

Like the other clinics within the state, a new VA clinic in the area would fall under the direction of the main hospital in Minneapolis.

Whether contracted or VA-staffed, Rhiger is confident the quality of care will be the same and the benefit to veterans will be great. Rhiger also thinks this region is due for a clinic, as Mankato received its clinic a few months ago, and another clinic will open northwest of Ramsey in November. This region was third on the list behind those two locations, Rhiger said.

If a clinic doesn’t fit in the 2012 budget, plans will be pushed back another year.

“Now is our time,” he said. “We’re up on the waiting list, or so to speak — if there’s the federal dollars to do it.”