(Big Sandy, Mont.) – Missoula will receive a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for veterans after sustained efforts from U.S. Senator Jon Tester. The new clinic, which Tester fought to secure in bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate in 2017, will serve more than 47,000 veterans in the area and allow the VA to expand its current Primary Care, Mental Health, and Specialty Care services.

“This new clinic is welcome news for Missoula’s veterans—who will now have access to cutting-edge care in a state-of-the-art new facility that’ll fit a diverse set of needs,” said Tester, the Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “For too long, veterans in Western Montana had to make do with an undersized clinic and overworked staff—but no more. This facility will provide the high quality health care folks who served this country in uniform earned and deserve.”

The CBOC, which will be constructed on vacant land at the southwest corner of West Broadway Street and Mary Jane Boulevard in Missoula, will have 52,557 energy efficient net usable square feet.

Tester fought for the new facility as part of his bipartisan VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017, which aims to quickly expand the capacity of the VA to better serve veterans. The bill authorized the new Missoula CBOC lease, which will have more than 150% more space than the previous clinic, allowing the VA to serve more patients, provide more privacy to veterans seeking care, and better ensure doctors, nurses and other medical personnel have the space they need to effectively do their jobs.