Construction begins on New Tampa VA mental health clinic

The first patients are expected to be welcomed in early 2024.

TAMPA, Fla. — Veterans across the Tampa Bay area in the coming years will have access to a new facility providing mental health resources.

A groundbreaking of the mental health clinic, set to be located at the corner of Temple Terrace Highway and Davis Road, marked the official start of construction Tuesday.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the project consolidates mental health programs into one facility. It's expected to be 137,000-square-feet in size once complete in 2023.

Its first patients are anticipated in early 2024.

Outpatient care services including substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and assistance for other general mental health conditions will be provided, the department said in a statement. A 30-bed residential substance abuse program offering detox and treatment also is planned.

"This is the essence of 'Mission Modernization,' which is our commitment to provide the highest quality, most convenient and accessible healthcare and facilities to our nation’s Veterans," James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital Director David K. Dunning said in a statement. "This groundbreaking signals an investment in a 'bigger and better’ Veterans' Hospital overall, high-impact medical techniques and a greater quality of care for those we serve."