Tester Joins VA, Local Officials to Celebrate Great Falls VA Clinic Grand Opening

Senator fought to secure funding for new VA facility that provides 65 percent more space to serve 4,300 Great Falls-area veterans and specialized services for women veterans

U.S. Senator Jon Tester joined local, state, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials today at the grand opening of the new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Great Falls. As Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester advocated for this new facility and pushed to increase funding for this and other new VA health care facilities across Montana.

“This facility is a culmination of efforts from veterans, community leaders, and VA employees who worked to make today a reality,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have fought to secure additional funding for this new space that will provide health care to more than 4,300 veterans in Great Falls, and give our doctors, nurses, and other medical staff a larger, higher-quality clinic to serve them. And I’m thrilled that it’ll provide specialized services to better meet the needs of women veterans in the area.”

The new VA facility is 16,121 square feet, 65 percent larger than the previous location, and will serve more than 4,300 veterans in the Great Falls area with Primary Care, Mental Health, and Specialty Care services. The facility offers 14 exam rooms—including two new primary care exam rooms geared specifically towards female veterans. It is also the first VA health care facility in Montana designed around the Patient Aligned Care Team Model, which provides care that is patient-driven, proactive, personalized, and team-based.

Tester advocated for increased funding for the new $11.5 million facility and fought to secure funding to cover information technology and equipment for the space. Last year, he also met with VA’s top health official Dr. Richard Stone during his visit to Montana, and urged him to improve the space at the existing Great Falls clinic while VA worked to build out the new facility.