The Department of Veterans Affairs will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. on Feb. 28 to celebrate the opening of its largest-ever leased Health Care Center (HCC).
The 470,000 square-foot facility, located at 10432 Patriot Highway in Spotsylvania County, will open March 3. It is set to serve more than 35,000 veterans annually and will create between 750 and 900 new jobs at full capacity.
However, Jeff Clements, a public relations specialist for the VA, said the recent hiring freeze enacted by the federal government will impact the timeline of filling all vacancies.
“With the hiring freeze and all of that, it has affected things,” Clements said. “But jobs are still there and we’re still trying to hire. To get such a large facility to full staff, we knew it was going to take a while.”
Clements noted that approximately 1,000 prospective employees attended the facility’s career fair last month at Germanna Community College, but that was before the hiring freeze was announced. Clements said the finishing touches, such as a construction “punch list” and furniture setup is occurring now in anticipation of the opening date.
The facility is a part of the VA’s efforts to expand access to care for veterans in Virginia.
“This region of Virginia is one of the fastest growing for veterans in the whole country,” said J. Ronald Johnson, executive director of the Central Virginia VA Healthcare System.
Three smaller Fredericksburg area clinics will consolidate into the new facility, and services will be expanded. The four-story clinic will offer primary healthcare, mental health services, diagnostic services, rehabilitation and specialty care. The new specialty services include pulmonary, gastroenterology, cardiology, dermatology, audiology, pain services, neurology and physical therapy.
Community members are encouraged to arrive at 12:30 p.m. for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Speakers include U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Dr. Rustom Khouri, CEO of Carnegie Management and Development Corporation and Dr. Michael Brennan, executive director of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management for the VA.
