Renderings of new El Paso VA main hospital in Ft. Bliss released

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – The El Paso Veterans Administration Health Care System has released visualizations of the region's new primary care center. The new center is scheduled to break ground next week and open by 2028.

The 492,996-square-foot facility will be built adjacent to the new William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss near the Iron Medics exit on Loop 375 at a cost of $617,499,000.

According to Froylan Garza, executive director of the El Paso VA, this will enable better care for more than 54,000 veterans in the local system. And while the region has made progress in meeting federal standards for scheduling appointments for new patients, there is still work to be done.

“The VA of today is certainly not the VA of my grandparents,” Garza says. “But I can tell you that here at the El Paso VA, we have focused on filling critical positions in primary care, mental health care and also specialty services. So much so that today we are seeing historic wait times in primary care and mental health care.”

The MISSION Act, passed in 2018, requires that new VA patients have appointments available for primary health care or mental health care within 20 days. Much progress has been made for crisis or acute care, Garza says.

“For example, in primary care, we can now see our veteran patients the same day,” Garza said. “We can even see them the next day if they request that. Additionally, in mental health, we can still see our patients today. The same day that veterans experience a crisis, they can go to any of our outpatient facilities here in El Paso and Las Cruces and receive the same crisis care immediately and on-site, no questions asked.”

But while most VA facilities in El Paso are meeting or approaching standards for basic care and routine testing, the Eastside clinic is still more than twice as behind the standard, with 56 days for new appointments.

Part of the solution to this problem is meeting the need for more facilities and space, such as the new primary care clinic and another six new or expanded clinics scheduled to open next fiscal year. Access and services are a key pillar of the VA's mission. Garza says all veterans can expect to receive the care they deserve in our region, especially if they have felt let down by the VA in the past.

“Give us a chance to get it right,” Garza said. “Join us as your health care partner.”

The focus on veteran suicide is also a central part of the VA's mission. Beyond critical care, any veteran in a crisis situation should call 988 and select option 2. This will connect them directly to the Veterans Crisis Team, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.