CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Officials with the Hampton Veteran Affairs Health Care System say the new clinic in Chesapeake, which first opened in April, is operational and expanding access to care.
The clinic employs 240 people, with almost 12,000 veterans enrolled as of July 31. Officials say the clinic is on track with their opening phases.
It is moving onto Phase 3, which has plans to add more Pact Teams, radiology, audiology, a full eye clinic, expanded telehealth offerings and dental services by January 2026, according to officials.
Watch previous coverage: VA Secretary responds to concerns about Chesapeake VA staffing levels
This plan aligns with previous statements by Veteran Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, who said that the new facility will ramp up to being fully functional in January 2026.
However, Virginia lawmakers were concerned about the staffing levels when the North Battlefield VA community-based outpatient clinic first opened.
Before the clinic opened on April 17, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) toured the facility and expressed concern after being told it would open with about 150 employees.
Watch related: As new Chesapeake VA clinic is set to open, concerns are raised about staffing
"To open with a 25 to 30 percent staff but also with real chaos creating real question marks around when you can completely fill up the staff is definitely not anything we can feel good about,” Kaine said.
"You have the building, but you can't have a medical facility without the personnel,” Scott added.
In a previous interview with News 3 in March, Collins took exception to their comments.
“They both have been around for long enough to know better, but they chose the political stunt route,” Collins said.
