El Paso’s Landmark VA Mental Health Clinic

Earlier today, along with health care and VA leaders in El Paso, I was honored to break ground at the new Medical Center of America’s (MCA) VA Mental Health Clinic in El Paso, the beginning of the future of veteran health care in our community.

The groundbreaking follows the years of collaborative work with local veterans, community health providers and government officials to bring this necessary medical facility to the El Paso community. In the summer of 2015, I met with then VA Undersecretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin to present a formal proposal for the additional care, resources and facilities, and announced the idea for that pilot program at a press conference later that November. The MCA was ultimately awarded the project in March of 2017. And today, I couldn’t be more proud to see our hard work come to fruition in this critical step forward for El Paso’s veterans.

The flagship facility will house all mental health services for the El Paso VA, serving over 7,000 veterans in the region with programs designed specifically to prioritize service-related health conditions. These include Monitored Treatment, Substance Use Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder programs. Beyond directly serving our veterans, the MCA’s VA Mental Health Clinic will also host a Wellness Center where medical residents from the nearby Texas Technical University Health Science Center El Paso will be able to participate in an innovative teaching partnership program. The 33,000 square foot clinic is expected to be completed in 2019.

I’m proud that El Paso is using our history and tradition as a military community to lead the way on improving access to veteran health care. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and as the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I am grateful to break ground on this important step towards ensuring every veteran receives the care they deserve after their service.

More information on the project here.