Dublin VA to build multi-million dollar mental health building

The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin is planning to build a new mental health clinic expected to cost between $5 million and $10 million.

The center already has issued a pre-solicitation, which gives builders a heads up that bids will soon be accepted for the project.

Fred Williams, the hospital's chief engineer, said he hopes to award a bid in March, and construction would begin sometime this summer. The clinic, which will be an estimated 23,000 square feet, is expected to take 18 months to complete.

The building, which will be situated in front of the current emergency room entrance, will not take up any existing parking in that area and will add 32 spaces.

"It will not only afford our patients a better place to come get their care needs met but will allow us to attract a highly qualified staff who want to work in a state-of-the-art facility," said Dr. Matthew Geyer, the hospital's mental health director. "It will be a huge impact for those who receive care."

He said the new center also will allow patients more privacy than they currently have when going into the main facility for treatment. Although the new building will be visible from the highway, the entrance will be out of motorists' views.

Many times patients entering the huge main hospital have to ask directions to the mental health area, so having a separate building they can find easily also will enhance privacy, Geyer said.

Mental health care has been an emphasis of the VA, and the 52-county area that the Dublin VA serves has seen steady growth in the number of patients seeking that specialized care, Geyer said. The growth rate of mental health patients at the Dublin facility has been slightly higher than the VA's national rate, he said.

In the past fiscal year, the VA saw 10,345 mental health patients in the 52-county Dublin VA region, which includes Macon and Warner Robins. The Dublin hospital itself saw 5,835 people, with 2,290 of those being new patients.

Post traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse are the two biggest issues veterans are dealing with, Geyer said.

Regarding the bids for the center, they were taken last year but turned out to be too high, officials determined. Officials later scaled back the project, but the most important aspects were retained, Williams said.

"It's going to be a very nice facility," he said. "It's going to look nice, and it's going to provide our veterans a dignified setting."

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Dublin VA to build multi-million dollar mental health building ."