MISSOULA — A groundbreaking ceremony officially launched construction for the new David J. Thatcher VA Clinic in Missoula on Friday.
The new David J. Thatcher VA Clinic will be located at 3885 West Broadway and will be approximately 60,000 square feet in size and situated on eight acres.
The new state-of-the-art clinic will be in one contiguous space and designed around the VA’s integrated Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model, which is "patient centric," according to a news release
Veterans will remain in a single room in the new clinic with providers coming to the veteran in a “one-stop shop” approach. VA officials note the model coordinates care with additional clinical services -- including social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, mental health practitioners, and others.
“Montana’s Veterans deserve and have earned access to the best health care our country can offer,” said Montana VA Health Care System’s Director, Dr. Judy Hayman. “The new David J. Thatcher VA Clinic will deliver Veteran-centric care in the largest MTVAHCS clinic in northwestern Montana.”
The new Broadway location will be easy to access from Interstate 90, is located on a bus line, and will have increased parking. The new clinic is projected to be completed in the winter of 2021.
The current clinic on Palmer Street is roughly 20,000 square feet and is divided between two buildings.
The Missoula clinic is named for David Thatcher who served as a tail gunner for the Doolittle Raiders who performed a high-risk mission to attack targets deep within Japanese-controlled territory following Pearl Harbor during WWII.
David Thatcher passed away in June 2016 at age 94.
