What started almost three years ago with an announcement from the federal government that Rolla was being considered as a site for a clinic for military veterans took a leap forward with a ceremonial breaking of ground this past week.
“For several years now, we have wanted to increase not only the size of our clinical space for Rolla-area veterans, but also the depth and breadth of the health services we provide,” said Paul Hopkins, interim medical center director of Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital.
Continuing, he said, “To do this, we put together a comprehensive plan for a new multidisciplinary clinic, which was the first new VA facility construction project nationwide authorized by the PACT Act of 2022.”
And Thursday, Aug. 7, Truman VA hospital officials broke ground to celebrate the start of construction of the medical center’s newest community-based outpatient clinic. The ceremony was held at the site of the new multispecialty clinic, 13063 Old Wire Road.
The new Rolla clinic for military veterans is expected to open sometime during the summer of 2027.
“Truman VA’s new multispecialty clinic will replace the current St. James facility, which is just 10 miles down the road,” according to the official press announcement. “The Rolla facility will represent an increase in physical space, from 8,600 square feet to almost 75,000 square feet.”
In that space will be 27 exam rooms, six eye lanes, seven dental treatment rooms, two physical/occupational therapy rooms, five telehealth rooms, and 16 behavioral health consultation rooms.
So, the move from St. James to Rolla allows a significant expansion of services.
“At our St. James facility we currently are able to offer area veterans primary care, behavioral health, audiology, and lab services,” said Nicholas Havens, M.D., chief of staff at Truman VA. “At our new Rolla clinic, we also will be able to offer the following outpatient services, in addition to what we currently offer in St. James: physical medicine and rehabilitation, urology, podiatry, cardiology, pulmonology, dermatology, oncology, orthopedic, optometry, imaging, dental, travel, enrollment, social work and police services.”
Other speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony were John Thomas, associate executive director of the Office of Real Property within VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management, and George Carpenter, interim deputy network director.
The Rolla clinic will be an extension of Harry S. Truman Memorial Veteran’s Hospital, an academic health center that is “committed to excellent patient care, education, and research.”
According to an information sheet: “Truman VA offers a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient health services to Veterans from 43 counties in Missouri, as well as Pike County, Illinois. More than 40,000 Veterans receive health care at Truman VA each year from comprehensive services that include primary care, medical and surgical specialties, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy services and more. As a referral center, Truman VA also provides cardiovascular care to include open heart surgery. For more information, visit https://www.columbiamo.va.gov/.”
It was back in November 2022 when Phelps County Focus reported that locating a new Veterans Administration facility in Rolla was under consideration.
Jeff Hoelscher, public affairs officer at the Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital in Columbia, confirmed the idea was being weighed by officials.
“At this time, the information I can provide concerning a possible VA clinic in Rolla is that it is an option we are in the process of assessing,” Hoelscher acknowledged. At that time, Hoelscher explained the need for a facility.
“Military and veteran healthcare in the surrounding area has been in fluctuation in recent years,” he said at that time. ‘The new General Leonard Wood Community Hospital is now under construction at Fort Leonard Wood whereas the Salem VA Clinic was closed in 2020. The VA also currently operates the Fort Leonard Wood Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Waynesville as well as a St. James VA Clinic. Both are administered by the Truman VA system. The former Salem clinic was administered by John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff.”
Hoelscher also noted at that time there was not a set timeline for the process and there might not be any developments to report for months.
Then, in October 2024, came the announcement that construction of the long-talked-about veterans outpatient clinic would begin in 2025 at 13063 Old Wire Road, former site of Villa Mobile Home Sales.
“We will close on that site sometime early in January (2025), and construction will begin right away, because the developer is under a deadline to get it done,” Investment Realty owner Mike Woessner told Phelps County Focus.
Completion of the building was said to be expected in late 2026. The developers are Specialized Engineering Solutions and Molasky Development.
