Terre Haute stands to gain its own Veteran Affairs outpatient clinic by 2021 in about 37,000 square feet of leased space, according to an announcement made on Wednesday afternoon.
The west side of Indianapolis was identified as a second clinic site, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly said in a press release.
The specific locations for the clinics are still to be determined, but an advertisement to identify potential sources and suitable locations in Terre Haute was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website on Friday and outlined the type of space required for the project.
For the Terre Haute site, the V.A. is looking for almost 37,000 usable square feet in a facility with 250 adjacent parking spaces.
In a list of additional criteria, the V.A. outlined a number of site requirements including: preferably a single-floor space, but no more than two contiguous floors; no bifurcated sites; a site zoned for intended use; a site within 26,000 linear feet, or roughly five miles, from amenities; and a site within five miles from a hospital or a stand-alone emergency room center and fire department.
According to the announcement, all interested parties must respond to the advertisement no later than Feb. 9, as the VA intends to conduct a market survey this spring.
Donnelly, a first-term Democratic senator whose is running for re-election, said the leases will be made possible by the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act, which became law in August.
The Terre Haute clinic would be occupied in the winter of 2021.
In a July 2017 interview with the Tribune-Star, Richard Griffith, chief strategy officer for Veteran Health Indiana’s Strategic Planning, Capital Investment, Outreach and Program Evaluation Service, said a survey was conducted three years ago evaluating the need for expanded medical services in areas around Indiana.
He said the study found areas, like Terre Haute, had a number of veterans that weren’t accessing the benefits they earned through years of service.
“We want to provide care where it’s convenient to the veterans,” Griffith said. “We don’t want them to have to drive to Indianapolis unless
“What we decided to do was take a look at the clinics we have [in Terre Haute] and [we] got approval this past year to expand from about 6,000 feet to about 26,000 square feet.”
Griffith said the VA would prefer to occupy an existing space as federal construction guidelines can slow the process.
“There are two considerations for a timeline on the project,” Griffith said. “If we can find an existing space, through a partnership or shared opportunity, existing space is easier to work with.
“New construction is harder to work with as federal guidelines and construction can take a while. We’re really working on an opportunity to partner.”