The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin will soon be getting some more room -- they're adding a 23,000 square foot outpatient clinic to the mental health department.
The hospital's director, Maryalice Morro, says that's much needed with the growing need for mental health services.
"The recent wars are really taking a toll on our veterans from a mental health perspective and they are seeking and we are providing more and more services to them," says Morro.
Besides space, she says another key benefit will be technology.
"It'll also have the ability to leverage a lot more technology so we can use telehealth so we can reach some of our veterans that for whatever reason can't get to one of our clinics or to the facility, and be able to serve them as well, whether it's in their home or one of our other clinics," says Morro.
She says she hopes wait times will decrease too. She says their goal is to have open access by December, which means same day service for veterans.
"We're working to restructure the way we schedule and see patients to be able to handle their healthcare needs of the day that day," says Morro.
Some veterans say they're excited for the addition.
"There's a lot of people, you know, war veterans that have a lot of mental suffering, thinking back on the days and the things they went through," says Navy veteran Rusty Henderson, "the older you get, the more things come up, so I think it's going to be very nice for a lot of veterans to come here that they could deal with."
"It is much needed to give patients a place to go for PTSD symptoms," says Army veteran Sammie Robinson.
"I think it'll be a great asset for here because it'll take a lot of the pressure off of here, this part of the hospital and take them over there and plus we could get more veterans off the street," says Navy veteran Marion Owens.
A hope that Morro and the current veterans being served, both share. Morro says construction on the new facility will take about 18 months.