Ground breaks on new VA mental health facility

Ground was broken on the new VA mental health facility behind the Medical School of the Americas.

It will be 33,000 square feet and serve the 7,000 veterans in the El Paso area.

The facility is a project Congressman Beto O’Rourke has been championing since 2015.

He said, “The facility is going to insure more veterans are able to get in to see a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health care provider who can help those veterans get back on their feet.”

The president of the CMA cant wait to for the construction to start.

“It’s a labor of love and we are excited to see it get started and were going to be even more excited in a little more then a year when we get to cut the ribbon the facility and are able to start serving our veterans” said Schwartz.

One of the members of the ground breaking committee had personal experience with mental health issues and life on the streets.

John Rhodes a once homeless veteran remarked about the El Paso Community saying, “I was always thanked for my service, which made me uncomfortable being a homeless person, but um this is a unique community I think in regards to their support of veterans.”

The plan is for the facility to be completed and operational in 2019. Opening its doors to veterans from all over the Borderland in need of help.