(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today joined local, state, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials and area veterans for the grand opening of the new veterans’ Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Butte. This new facility was made possible following years of Tester efforts to improve and expand area veterans’ access to quality VA health care and services.

“We’ve got a lot to celebrate today with this new facility opening in Butte that will provide state-of-the-art VA health care to thousands in the area—delivering care faster and under one roof,” said Senator Tester. “Between this top-notch clinic and the Southwest Montana Vets Home not far down the road, we’ve fought tooth and nail to deliver these big wins for veterans in the area and for good reason. I look forward to seeing the lasting impact these facilities will have on Montana veterans and their families for years to come.”

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester successfully secured funding for this new state-of-the-art facility. He was the only member of the Montana delegation to vote for both of the federal spending bills that made this new clinic possible. The new, 11,072 square foot clinic is nearly four times the size of the facility it is replacing, and will offer a range of services including primary care, mental health, a dedicated women’s health room, and telehealth to more than 1,700 Montana veterans in the surrounding area.

A champion for improving southwest Montana veterans’ access to quality care and services, the Southwest Montana Veterans Home opened its doors in Butte last year following a decades-long push from Tester. Tester fought for years to secure the funding for the home, and worked with local stakeholders and the federal government to secure the necessary resources to get the project off the ground and completed.

Tester has led the way in expanding veterans’ access to care in Montana—securing resources to build new and modernized facilities across the state. Through years of focused work with multiple Administrations of both parties, and working across the aisle in Washington and with communities across Montana, Tester’s efforts have resulted in new facilities opening in several areas including Fort Harrison in Helena, Missoula, Miles City, Bozeman, Great Falls, Billings, Havre, Cut Bank, and Butte. Additional VA projects Tester has fought for are underway in other parts of the state.