Construction moves forward on Tomball VA clinic, opening planned for July 2013

Photo courtesy Bobbi GrunerPhoto by Shawn Arrajj

An updated timetable for the Veterans Administration clinic in Tomball projects the facility to be open and providing services in July 2013.

The Houston VA—the organization behind the new Tomball clinic—hired Nabholtz Construction Services to begin renovating the former Klein Super Market building at 1200 W. Main St. this month. The final outcome will be a 30,000-square-foot outpatient clinic that will provide veterans with primary health care, mental health care, women's specialty care, phlebotomy, X-ray, telemedicine, teleretinal imaging, optometry and audiology services.

"We want to make sure that healthcare is easily accessible," said Bobbi Gruner, communications director with the Houston VA. "Instead of forcing veterans to drive into the Houston area, we're trying bring health care closer to them."

The facility has also begun looking for staff members to run the facility. Construction is expected to be completed in April 2013, at which point the VA will go through its inspection process. The installation of medical equipment is planned for June.

Gruner said Tomball was chosen because of research and census data that indicated a large number of veterans lived in the area. She estimated the clinic will serve 8,000 veterans within its first year of operation.

This clinic is leasing the property for $1 million per year and will operate on taxpayer dollars, Gruner said.

"We believe the state-of-the-art care that we'll be offering will be filling a need for this community," she said. "We have a significant responsibility to ensure taxpayers are satisfied with their investment."

The Houston VA also has clinics in Lufkin, Beaumont, Conroe, Richmond, Lake Jackson, Texas City and Galveston and plans on opening a clinic in the Katy area in the summer of 2013 as well.