History was made Dec. 11, 2018, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District proudly partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to break ground on the new VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic at Fort Knox, Kentucky—the first stand-alone VA clinic to be located on a Department of Defense Installation.
The $10.7 million project, which is scheduled to open in spring 2020 will provide outpatient primary care as well as mental health, social work, laboratory, nutrition and telehealth services for Veterans.
“VA and DoD have a long history of partnering together to ensure our Veterans and active duty service members receive the highest level of quality healthcare and services in or around the communities where they live. This venture, between VA and DoD, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to proudly care for all those we serve,” Cynthia Breyfogle, Network Director, VA Midsouth Healthcare Network said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
“We would also like to recognize the Army Corps of Engineers and Semper Tek, Inc., for the actual design and building of this wonderful clinic to serve our Veterans in this community for many years to come.”
The new 18,093 square foot facility will be a modern, convenient and comfortable location for Veterans to receive the care they need.
“This definitely is a means of being able to take care of people and the people that we are taking care of are our Veterans,” Louisville District Commander Col. Antoinette Gant said during her remarks. “I stand in this uniform today as an active duty service member, but one day I will be one of those people who will be able to utilize a facility such as this.”
This project sits on six acres adjacent to the Ireland Army Health Clinic, which is 50 percent complete and scheduled to open to the Fort Knox community in early 2020. Both facilities are being constructed to replace the existing Ireland Army Community Hospital on post, which is scheduled for demolition in 2020.
“These projects will enable the history of expert medical care at Fort Knox to continue for years to come,” said Louisville District Project Manager Steve Farkus. “We are honored to help deliver these projects alongside the VA to serve Veterans and their families.