Lewistown News-Argus: VA to build new clinic in Lewistown

Lewistown veterans will have a new outpatient clinic for their medical care in two years’ time.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday afternoon that the Veterans Health Administration had awarded a contract to build a 6,100 square foot facility on at the corner of U.S. Highway 87 West and H Street in Lewistown.

“We are excited to announce the new Community Based Outreach Clinic is coming to Lewistown,” said Duane Gill, Montana VA Health Care System’s Executive Director, in a press release. “Montana Veterans deserve and have earned the right to receive the highest quality of care. This new construction facility will allow us to expand to more than twice the size of our existing clinic. This will allow us to offer our Veterans the services and care they deserve in this new, state-of-the-art, modern facility.”

The $1.73 million clinic, which will replace the VA’s existing Lewistown clinic of around 3,000 square feet on NE Main Street, is scheduled for completion in the spring or summer of 2026.

Matthew Rosine, Public Affairs Officer for the Montana VA, told the News-Argus the new facility will help the agency better keep up with changes in healthcare treatment.

“The Montana VA is always looking to expand services. We try to keep our facilities as new as possible, and with healthcare changes, facilities that were meeting needs just a few years ago need to be upgraded,” said Rosine.

Dean Martin, Service Officer for American Legion Post #16 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1703 in Lewistown, was hopeful the new clinic would allow for more Central Montana veterans to be treated locally.

“It’s so important to have a clinic in rural areas so people can get things like their lab work and x-rays all in one place rather than going here, there, and everywhere,” Martin said. “We have 1,400 or 1,500 veterans in Fergus County… and we have people who live here and their home clinic is Billings, or it’s Great Falls or Helena, and we’re paying mileage for them to travel.”

According to Rosine, the VA will offer the same services, which include primary care, audiology and speech treatment, laboratory and pathology testing, and telehealth for both physical and mental health, at the new facility, and hopes to do even more.

“There will be no loss of services, and we’ll have the option to bring in new services if we are able,” he said. “We’re hoping to expand in the future, and doubling our space will allow us the possibility of adding services and staff.”

In particular, Rosine said the expanded space could allow for more equipment to provide telehealth services for veterans, a tool that research shows can be used to better reach patients in rural and remote areas.

Martin added that the potential to add more staff could replace what is a currently vicious cycle for local veterans with a virtuous one.

“When providers get scheduled out, people get frustrated and go to Billings or Helena or Great Falls,” he said. “In other areas where they’ve opened up clinics, it appears that it’s helped.”

Montana Senator Jon Tester, Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who wrote a letter to the VA urging the agency to finalize plans for the new clinic last month, celebrated the announcement and said he was eager to ensure the project made it to completion.

“Veterans in Lewistown and across Montana deserve the best possible care and services—no matter where they live. That starts with making sure the facilities that serve them close to home are top-notch,” said Tester in a press release. “This new and improved clinic will deliver our veterans better access to convenient, quality care, and I’m proud to have worked with local veterans to secure this new facility for our men and women who served. It’s a big win for veterans in Fergus County, and I’ll keep holding VA accountable in ensuring this important project stays on track and opens its doors as soon as possible.”

Ultimately, Rosine, a veteran himself, was enthusiastic about the possibilities that a new clinic could provide for retired servicemembers in Central Montana.

“We’re excited. This gives us a lot more options for helping Montana veterans,” said Rosine. “It’s obviously a ways out and there’s a lot we don’t know, but by doing this, it gives us a lot more options, staffing, and services to give veterans the best care possible.”

Martin, who said he had spoken with Sen. Tester on the issue in the spring, was also thrilled about the impact the clinic could have on healthcare for local veterans.

“I’m excited,” said Martin. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful thing for our veterans and for our community. Every veteran would rather drive 25 miles for treatment rather than 125 or 225 miles.”