Ryan Lilly, Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center associate director, makes the rounds during the holiday season of local veterans’ medical clinics. He told the employees at the Rumford Veterans Clinic that a new program that aims to improve management of health care issues will be starting up sometime next year under the Rural Clinic Initiative. About $50 million was applied to the new veterans program nationwide, according to a news release issued by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. With Lilly are: Cindy Theriault, LPN; Barbara Sylvester-Pellett, care coordinator; Lisa Timberlake, LPN; Dr. Lesley Mansfield, a physician at Togus in the Rural Initiative Program; Lilly; and Catherine Merrill, PA.