Daytona Beach VA Clinic expected to serve upwards of 30,000 veterans in Volusia County

Plans for a new Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Daytona Beach go back 10 years or more.

Now the wait is over.

On Thursday, community leaders, administrators, veterans and other visitors finally got to see the finished product: a 133,537-square-foot, tech-equipped building at 1776 N. Williamson Blvd. with the capacity to treat as many as 30,000 patients in numerous areas of care.

The former Daytona Beach VA Clinic (also called the William V. Chappell VA multi-specialty clinic) was located at 551 National Healthcare Dr. in Daytona Beach and will continue to see patients there until the new clinic officially opens its doors May 13. Melanie Thomas, public information officer for the regional Orlando VA Health Care System, said she did not know what if any plans there were for the previous property as it was leased by the VA.

"I think it was time to upgrade; the other facility was old," said Roger Roneini, retired U.S. Army, as he gestured around the main lobby furnished with sleek modular seating in a visit to the new clinic Thursday afternoon.

His friend, Bob Gattanella, also retired U.S. Army, agreed, saying, "Having this facility you don't need to go to Orlando for all the advanced [procedures] like MRIs."

Gattanella said he was especially impressed with the amount of parking ― 750 spaces, or an additional 387 more compared to the former facility, according to Thomas.

The new site will serve more than 22,000 veterans across the region and provide ancillary and specialty services to an additional 5,500 veterans from the Deltona VA clinic.

The new clinic is 133,537-square-feet overall ― more than twice the previous building — and includes 23 departments such as dental, primary care, vision, laboratory, physical therapy and pharmacy. It will also house the homeless program and specialty services like cardiovascular diagnostics, neurology, vascular, chiropractic and orthopedics.

The cost of the construction project is an estimated $60 million.

Thomas said the clinic was designed to include pods for the institution's "PACT" (patient aligned care team) approach to collaborative healthcare, allowing representative's from a patient's given "team" of providers to share background information, treatment plans and goals across their various specialties.

Thomas said the Daytona Beach clinic was still in the process of hiring for the new facility.

"We currently have approximately 326 employees and it will be closer to 350, when all staff are hired," Thomas added.

With a groundbreaking for the project in December 2021, construction has taken just under two and a half years to complete.

Some of those in attendance at the official ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday were Nicole Robinson, former chief medical officer for the Daytona Beach VA Clinic; Tim Cooke, medical center director/CEO for VA Orlando Health Care; and Congressman Michael Waltz.

Said Robinson: "From its very inception, the new Daytona Beach VA Clinic has been carefully curated and designed to meet the growing needs of both our veteran population and our staff, addressing their concerns through its execution. We believe that the final product ― a new, state-of-the-art facility ― will not only meet but exceed expectations with expanded services for our veterans and their families."

The clinic's regular operating hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday) will remain the same.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: VA clinic in Daytona Beach ready to serve veterans in Volusia County