EL PASO, TX – August 22, 2019 – On Monday, August 19, officials gathered in the future parking lot of the South-Central VA Wellness Clinic to tour the building that broke ground for construction exactly one year ago. The group included Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, State Representative César Blanco, and other important board and community members from different MCA Campus and healthcare institutions, including TTUHSC El Paso, the El Paso VA, the Paso del Norte Community Foundation and the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation (MCA).

Representatives from Jordan Foster Construction, the general contractor in charge of the Wellness Center construction, led the tour group through the soon to be completed building. John Dillon with Jordan Foster pointed out the intricacies of different parts of the facility such as the “beehive” area featuring four skylights that bring in natural light to the center of the building, expandable group therapy rooms and the welcoming waiting area that will effectively serve as an informal group therapy area.

The MCA signed a 20-year lease agreement with the VA in February 2018 and broke ground on the South-Central VA Wellness Center in August of 2018. The facility will be the first free-standing mental health specialty clinic serving the region’s veterans. The Wellness Center is expected to be finished by November of this year and opened in early 2020.

The approximately 33,000-square-foot South Central VA Wellness Center will provide mental health and wellness services to approximately 40,000 veterans per year and will create 163 new jobs. In addition, the facility will free-up much-needed space in the main VA facility adjacent to the current William Beaumont Medical Center.

“The MCA is thrilled to welcome the VA as our new neighbor and as a new MCA campus partner,” says MCA President Emma Schwartz. “As the Medical Center of the Americas campus adds more healthcare services, education, and research capabilities, it becomes more attractive to supportive commercial development and in turn, will attract even more healthcare capacity. We are also excited to see high-quality mental health services expand in our region in a beautiful facility that will hopefully help to lessen the stigma of mental health.”