The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA; Washington, D.C.) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth (Texas) District held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new El Paso VA Health Care Clinic in Fort Bliss, Texas, according to a news release.

The project consists of a new 6-story, 492,000-square-foot ambulatory care facility on the William Beamont Army Medical Center campus. An 18,000-square-foot outdoor garden and café connecting to an indoor canteen and central utility plant are also planned.

Services will include pharmacy, radiology, pathology, audiology, prosthetics, rehabilitation for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, women’s health, mental health and substance abuse programs, dental, eye, and surgical care.

SmithGroup (Detroit) is leading interior architecture, interior design, medical planning, fire protection engineering, specialty lighting design, and landscape architecture on the project. Joint venture partner HKS (Dallas) is leading exterior architecture, site planning, and sustainable design certification. Clark Construction Group (Bethesda, Md.) is the general contractor.

Read more about VA healthcare projects here.