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New VA Clinics OK'd For Jacksonville, 5 Other Florida Cities

The VA clinic on North Jefferson Street in Jacksonville opened in October of 2012.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The VA clinic on North Jefferson Street in Jacksonville opened in October of 2012.

Jacksonville is one of six Florida cities Congress has approved for new VA outpatient facilities. 

The U.S. Senate Tuesday night unanimously approved $18.6 million to replace the Veterans Administration outpatient clinic in Jacksonville.

An email from said the expenditure is part of a broad veterans’ health care bill called the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017.

Also in the legislation:

  • $12.2 million for a replacement outpatient clinic in Daytona Beach
  • $12.2 million for a new medical and a new mental health clinic in Gainesville
  • $5 million for a clinic in Ocala
  • $13.3 million for a replacement mental health clinic in Tampa
  • $10.7 million for a clinic in Lakeland

Nelson said the seven new and replacement clinics will make it easier for military veterans to get the care they need.

Last week’s approval by the U.S. House of Representatives means the bill now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law. 

More than 1.5 million military veterans call Florida home.

Contact Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.

Copyright 2020 WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville. To see more, visit .

Cyd Hoskinson began working at WJCT on Valentine’s Day 2011.