Work begins on new veterans health clinic in Bremerton
Work has begun on a new, larger veterans clinic.
A recent meeting among the National Contracting Office, VA Puget Sound Health Care System engineering staff and building lessor Golden Oyster Bay LLC resulted in a limited notice to proceed, VA spokesman Chad Hutson said Friday. The action allows the lessor to begin preliminary work.
The clinic will be located at 4205 Kitsap Way in the Oyster Bay Shopping Center in a space that had housed a Rite Aid pharmacy.
County Commissioner Ed Wolfe said he visited the facility last week and workers were demolishing the interior.
During the demolition, the National Contracting Office will continue to work with the building owner on final, minor changes to the design so a full notice to proceed can be issued, which is expected soon, Hutson said. Once the final notice is issued, a time line for completion will be developed and an opening date set.
Hutson said in June that if negotiations on allocation of costs could be worked out quickly, the VA was hoping to open the clinic in the fall.
The site was selected in October from three candidates. The other two sites weren't identified.
The new location is less than a half-mile from the existing clinic at 925 Adele Ave., which opened in 2001. At 14,000 square feet, it will nearly triple the size. The larger facility will allow the staff to grow from 22 to more than 30. The additional staff will allow for expanding primary care and home-base primary care services as well as add physical therapy.
The VA provides health care to military members who were honorably discharged and fall under certain income levels. Community-based outpatient clinics such as Bremerton's provide the most common health and wellness services without vets having to visit a larger medical center in Seattle or Tacoma.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, said the clinic can't open soon enough after being delayed for years.
"For too long, veterans in Bremerton have dealt with inadequate and overcrowded facilities that have led to difficulty in accessing quality care," he said. "I'm impatient, and I want this to get done because veterans deserve better. That's why I've been pushing the VA and will continue to push until the new clinic opens its doors. I'll continue my work with local leaders to see this through so veterans can get the care they've earned."
By: Ed Friedrich
Source: Kitsap Sun