There is no exact opening date yet for the new Vero Beach U.S. Veterans Affairs clinic, but Kaila Bird, West Palm Beach VA chief of strategic communications and marketing, said the clinic will open sometime in March.
It will be located in the 777 37th Street building east of the hospital.
“There is an open house planned for April,” Bird said.
Nurse Manager Jennifer Harris has been tapped by the VA to head up the new clinic. She is board certified, has a Master of Science in Nursing, and is a certified case manager.
“Staffing for the Phase 1 opening is nearly complete, including physicians and support personnel,” Bird said.
The VA estimates that 40 jobs will be created by the clinic’s opening.
Services planned for Phase 1 are physical therapy, occupational therapy and chiropractic services.
Phase 2 will include audiology, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, podiatry, prosthetics, pulmonary, urology and blood work.
When can veterans begin booking appointments at the Vero clinic?
“We will have a soft opening, and soon after that we will reach out to patients to schedule [appointments at] the new clinic,” Bird said.
Bird said the VA plans to install signage soon at the 777 building, often referred to as the Old Kurtell Building, to direct patients to the clinic.
Local veterans who wish to keep up with the latest information about the new clinic can engage with the Veterans Council of Indian River County and attend monthly meetings.
U.S. Navy veteran Dr. Michael Fortunato, who chairs the local Veterans Council, said, “Our general council meeting, which is open to the public, is held the first Wednesday of the month in the meeting room of County building B. The VA has been very good about attending and giving as much information as possible. This is a huge step for Indian River County veterans, and the West Palm Beach VA is moving as fast as possible to get this done.”
First announced in the fall of 2024, the $8 million clinic was set to open in March 2025, to bring much-needed healthcare to Vero’s veterans. Vero has long had a primary care clinic on 17th Street, but veterans must travel to West Palm Beach to see most specialists.
In February 2025, the VA pushed the opening date back to September. In September, the opening was delayed again – to this March for Phase 1 and May for Phase 2.
In mid-January, the VA published a video showing construction activity in the future clinic space.
County building permit records show that the office suites being renovated by the VA’s contractor Excel Construction have not yet been scheduled for final mechanical, plumbing, electrical or fire inspections. Those, along with a final overall building inspection, must be signed off before the VA can apply for its certificate of occupancy. The most recent building department approvals were for windows and doors on Jan. 5.
