Primary care services will move from downtown Charleston VA hospital to new facility in N. Charleston

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The Charleston VA Medical Center will soon be breaking ground on a new clinic in North Charleston.

Once completed, it’ll have 75,000 square feet of usable space and be home to some of the Charleston VA’s primary care services.

That care currently is given at the downtown Charleston hospital and at the VA’s Trident Clinic in North Charleston. All dental services will also be making the same move from downtown Charleston to the new facility.

In total, the Rivers Ave location will have the capacity to hold 24 primary care teams. That will be six more teams than the system currently has, according to Dr. Christopher Blasy, the VA’s chief of primary care.

“We will be adding as demand is there, but since we are among the fastest growing sites in the VA, we expect consistent growth over the next several years,” Blasy said. “Based on our current capacity, we will probably add two teams upon opening of the facility.”

Each of those teams takes care of between 900 and 1,200 patients.

The $10 million facility will also have secondary services including mental health, select specialty care, blood collection, and radiology.

“In the new building, there will be a whole new section for just our women veterans,”

Vincent Vernacchio, a nurse practitioner at the Trident Clinic, said. “There will be a better equipped exam room with a restroom inside, so the space will be a little bit more conducive for our female veterans."

One of those female veterans is Saniece Manuel. She was in the United States Army and is now both a patient and employee of the VA.

"I wont have to wait so long to see my doctor,” Manuel said. “If I call, I won't have to wait two to three weeks before I'll be able to see a doctor. I can call and that should narrow the timeframe down to maybe a couple days."

The groundbreaking at 6450 Rivers Avenue is scheduled for May 3 at 10 a.m.

“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie will give the keynote remarks,” Erin Curran, a VA spokesperson, said.

Other speakers will include Congressman Joe Cunningham and North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey.

As for the clinic’s construction, it’s scheduled to take a year and a half. The VA will then need a few months to move in, so it’s set to be opening its doors in the Spring or Summer of 2021.

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