After a decade of planning and 15 months of construction, veterans residing near the heart of Douglas County now have access to an exclusive health care clinic in Castle Rock.

The new Castle Rock U.S Department of Veterans Affairs health center offers a variety of services for roughly 8,000 veterans residing in the area, including primary care and mental health assistance.

At the facility’s ribbon cutting on Monday, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Interim Director Paul Roberts said the facility’s goal is to “provide veterans with the quickest and best care.”

“We are dedicated to making that care accessible within their own communities,” he said.

The new 24,000-square-foot veterans healthcare facility also provides radiology and lab services, including social work and nutritional assistance, according to VA officials.

“The new clinic embodies the VA’s commitment to adapting to the needs of the veteran population, ensuring that as the community grows, so does their access to comprehensive health care services,” VA officials said in a news release.

Breaking ground in early 2024, Castle Rock’s VA center, 3753 Dacoro Lane, was built following a decade-long discussion among federal officials on where another Colorado health care center would be located, and its funding, according to VA and local officials.

“Even your federal government’s paying attention, they’re paying attention to where people are moving to and veterans around the state,” Douglas County Commissioner George Teal, a Desert Storm U.S. Army veteran, said.

“It’s up to the local communities to respond to the call and get behind these efforts to bring in such a great facility,” Teal said.

Already, 16 “community based” outpatient clinics operate throughout Colorado, according to the VA website.

“In years past, Aurora, Golden or Colorado Springs, have served our veterans. And frankly, that’s too far for our veterans in Douglas County to go,” Castle Rock Mayor Jason Gray said on Monday.

“We believe in progress, we believe in business, in Castle Rock, and we believe in our veterans,” he said.

For Castle Rock resident and Marines veteran Randy Akers, who served from 1973 to 1977 as a submarine missile technician, having a local veterans healthcare facility is a “huge deal” for him and fellow veterans, he said.

Akers said he used to drive over an hour for veteran-focused health care.

“I think dedication back to the veterans and showing that they’re reaching out and going more local instead of the 100-to-200 mile drives to get basic care,” Akers said.

Now he, along with thousands of other veterans near Castle Rock, won’t need to travel so far anymore.