Groundbreaking for new VA clinic will be Feb. 10

Jan. 26--LAS CRUCES -- It has taken longer than many southern New Mexico military veterans had hoped for, but a new Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Las Cruces is about to become a reality.

"About time, it's really needed," said Thomas Harper, a Silver City resident who travels to Las Cruces once a week for appointments at the Las Cruces VA clinic. "This place, now, is pretty small, kind of cramped. The waiting room isn't big and it's usually full of veterans waiting to get in. Hope (the new clinic) will be bigger, with more parking."

Michael L. Amaral, director of the El Paso Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, said groundbreaking ceremonies for the new clinic will be Feb. 10.

"It has taken longer for the procurement process to be completed," Amaral said. "But they have begun moving dirt and construction of the new clinic will be moving forward."

Since early 2014 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs began exploring possibilities of opening a new clinic. With increasing numbers of veterans living in Las Cruces and southern New Mexico, a new outpatient clinic in Las Cruces has been needed. New Mexico's congressional delegation, particularly Sen. Tom Udall, who has visited the Las Cruces clinic in recent years, has advocated for a new one.

The current Las Cruces clinic, 1635 S. Don Roser Drive, opened in 1994. It has provided basic medical and mental health care, and provided referrals for other medical services. However, the demand for medical care among southern New Mexico veterans continues to be greater than the 6,000-square-foot clinic can provide.

The new clinic, anticipated to be 10,000 square feet in size, will be at 3401 Del Rey Boulevard, at the northwest corner of Del Rey and Mars Avenue. City officials have already promised bus service will be provided to the new VA clinic once it opens.

"A new clinic can only help," said Francine Nyland, a U.S. Navy veteran who takes her husband to the clinic twice a month. "A lot of the (current) examination rooms are pretty small, and I think that can put veterans and (clinic) staff in a bad mood. It's nice the veterans are getting a clinic they deserve, They're deserving of a nice, new facility and the best care they can get."

Veterans Affairs officials have said the larger facility will provide veterans with expanded care, but that will not mean more services. The new, and larger, clinic will continue to focus on primary medical care, mental health, VA telehealth services, and improved efficiency. For specialized care, veterans can go to either the El Paso VA clinic, adjacent to William Beaumont Army Medical Center, or to another hospital with a medical referral.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452, sramirez@lcsun-news.com, or @SteveRamirez6 on Twitter.

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