Leadership of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System announced plans for the largest expansion of VA medical resources in the Antelope Valley set for next year.

By summer of 2025, VA officials said, a new clinic that will double the size and scope of services should be open for veteran care.

Responding to persistence and pressure from veterans themselves, and a full court press by congressional representatives, the VA has committed to double the size of the outpatient clinic the Department of Veterans Affairs has operated for decades in Lancaster.

More than 300 veterans and their supporters turned out early and packed the meeting room of Elks Lodge 1625. There were so many that Elks Veterans Coordinator Glen Campbell had to give directions to the exits.

“Be sure that if we have to evacuate that you don’t run over the veterans in the wheelchairs,” advised Campbell, a retired Air Force veteran.

As the meeting opened, volunteers were still carrying chairs into the meeting room, and still more veterans came.

It was a triumph of veterans making their needs known and not giving up, said Christine Ward, veterans assistance deputy for Rep. Mike Garcia, himself a veteran retired Navy fighter pilot.

That was the group of veterans and supporters who turned out to meet with VA officials including Rob Merchant, executive director of VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare, joined by Alan Trinh, head of ambulatory care and others.

“We are here because we need to meet with this community,” Merchant said. “We want to hear from you, and we want to let you know that you have been heard.”

Detailed plans for an expanded VA Outpatient Care Clinic to be located in downtown Lancaster were announced, with construction to start soon after permits are approved by City of Lancaster. Merchant said Lancaster has been moving with urgency to move the project forward.

Currently, a VA contract facility of about 10,000 square feet operates on Avenue I. The new facility, which will be near Antelope Valley Medical Center, is scheduled to open next year.

“September 2025,” Merchant said. “We will be opening the doors in summer of 2025, thirteen months from now.”

The crowd of veterans applauded, but also had pointed questions.

“I will believe it when I see it,” veteran Glen Cantrell said. “If you cannot staff all the services needed at VA Sepulveda, how will you staff this clinic.”

Cantrell, a 30-year veteran, noted that when the current Community Based Outpatient Clinic opened on Avenue I in Lancaster that the facility had difficulty in staffing, and that veterans never had consistency in meeting with a primary care doctor.

“If you don’t have primary care physicians who live here, it’s going to be a disaster,” he said.

Merchant acknowledged “the number one complaint has been turnover and lack of consistency in primary care physicians.”

He added “We are recruiting staff now, to start seeing veterans as soon as possible, and not wait until the clinic opens.”

Cantrell said, “If you have a plan to provide  care in this community, I’ll give you a hug.”

Merchant responded that one reason staffing will be more achievable for the expanded clinic is that many VA employees reside in the Antelope Valley already. Employees who have to commute to work in the west San Fernando Valley or west Los Angeles will be able to work close to home in the Antelope Valley, Merchant promised.

Additions in services to the new facility, Merchant said, will include dental services, optometry, a women’s clinic, cardiology, and expanded mental health services. The new facility will be staffed by VA, not a contract-operated clinic, Merchant said.

“We listened to what you, the veterans, told us were your needs,” Merchant said.

He added that when the new facility opens next year, the additions of services will increase over time, depending on needs. But staff recruitment is already beginning, he said.

Post 9/11 Army veteran John Parsamyan who runs a training program with Antelope Valley Vets4Veterans asked if VA planned to expand counseling services to prevent homelessness. Merchant said “Yes.”

Iraq War veteran Earle Potot asked about VA Care in Community, and why there was a disconnect on getting necessary prescriptions refilled. Merchant got Potot and other veterans in the room connected with a VA “Patient Experience” representative.

The Urgent Care at High Desert Medical Group is a certified VA “Care in Community” provider for veterans who are signed up for VA Healthcare benefits.

Merchant thanked Chris Ward, veterans aide for Rep. Mike Garcia, for her work in keeping north Los Angeles County veterans “top of mind” and on the VA radar.

He also lauded the efforts of local groups including Los Angeles County-operated Veterans Peer Access Network, also Coffee4Vets, Vets4Veterans, AV Veterans Community Action Coalition, and particularly the VA-operated Vet Center in Palmdale.

Vet Center Director Dalia Sanchez shared with the room “We have counseling services for PTSD, for TBI. We are all combat veterans and qualified to provide therapy services.”

Merchant, an Iraq War veteran, encouraged veterans to engage with local veterans service organizations in addition to seeking VA healthcare and benefits.

“We are all part of the solution,” he said.

Editor’s note: Dennis Anderson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at High Desert Medical Group, a certified VA Care in Community Provider. An Army veteran, he works on community health and veterans initiatives.