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Craig — Inside the Veterans Affairs TeleHealth Clinic in Craig, veterans can sit down and talk with their physician about any medical problems they have. The physician can check the patient's heartbeat, listen to lungs and check for warning signs of skin cancer -from Grand Junction or Denver.

The TeleHealth Clinic, which recently was selected as a "Site of Excellence," uses specialized equipment to have video conferencing in Craig with a physician several hours away.

To highlight the advantages of using the TeleHealth technology, Tom Feliu, of Rocket Media Group in Fairfax, Va., and his film crew taped a documentary about the clinic in Craig. They began filming Wednesday at the clinic.

Feliu said the reason behind the film is to get veterans who wouldn't otherwise consider using this technology to take advantage of it.

"We want to focus on the people who have used it and know that it works," he said.

Rocket Media Group has worked for the VA before, filming documentaries about technology. The documentary about the TeleHealth Clinic will be shown to veterans living in rural communities throughout the country and as a promotional tool.

Craig was the third location for the film, after Buffalo, N.Y., and Puerto Rico.

"Craig is the classic example of a remote area where the technology has worked, and people are choosing to use it," Feliu said.

April Branstetter, a registered nurse at the Craig clinic, usually sits in with patients as they talk with their physicians from more than 150 miles away.

"There are a lot of veterans who come in thinking that they won't like it, and they walk out loving it," Branstetter said. "And I think a lot of them just appreciate having it here."

Bill Jacobs is one of those veterans.

"It was a welcome and new thing, and it's been fantastic having it here in Craig," said Jacobs, 74, who served in the Navy.

Jacobs said he was pleased he could avoid the long drive to receive care.

"That's a drive I don't have to take anymore - it's right in my backyard," he said.

Getting veterans to come in if they have a medical issue is one of the most important missions for the clinic.

"There are a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise come in," Branstetter said. "They'll either wait until the snow melts, or they won't seek any help at all."

A physician on the other end of the line can give Branstetter or another nurse instructions during an examination.

"By using the camera, someone on the other end can say 'go up, go down,' so they can get a clearer picture," said Branstetter. "We can adjust accordingly."

Branstetter said the only disadvantage to using the system was when hands-on care is required.

"Obviously, someone will need to be here for anything that requires touch - checking for swollen lymph nodes, or tenderness," she said.

The clinic in Craig, which opened in September 2007, has been a success because of the personal care the veterans receive, Branstetter said.

"It's more like home, more comfortable," she said. "Residents can stay in Craig and get the care they need."

Because the clinic in Craig is small, being able to have a link with the larger hospital is important, said Paul Sweeney, spokesman for the VA Hospital in Grand Junction.

"Having the intimacy of a place like the TeleHealth Clinic is so important for so many vets," he said. "And by using this technology, they get to keep that small-town hospital feeling and stay at home while getting the care they need."

The system came with a hefty price tag, Sweeney said.

"It was a huge piece of change," said Sweeney, adding that no expense was spared on the computer equipment. "The VHA leads when it comes to computers - through the electronic medical records, or the TeleHealth equipment."

Linda Livingston, active administrative officer at the clinic, said having up-to-date technology helps the clinic keep up with increasing demand.

"It's a little faster, more efficient," she said. "It allows us more time to get to more patients and to keep up that quality care."