Forward Observer: VA Gets Rolling on a Better Allentown VA Clinic
On 6 July, the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center announced that it had signed a lease for a new, state-of-the-art Allentown Outpatient facility to be constructed at 935 Blue Barn Road and completed by the winter of 2029 (The first patients may be able to use the facility by the summer.). It will replace the inadequate 3110 Hamilton Boulevard facility and its mental health services located in the Roma Corporate Center at 1605 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard.
This new facility will hopefully overcome the need for a more robust array of VA direct services in the Lehigh Valley region. The recent emphasis on Community Care Networks is not a complete solution to the specialized needs of military veterans and those who have families using CHAMPVA – especially considering the quality of VA healthcare services when available. The facility will expand primary care, once again provide mental health and wellness services from one location, and enlarge specialty and ancillary services increasingly needed and identified as a result of a PACT Act of 2022 initiative.
LVMAC has always believed and argued that the region should have at least one VA-operated independent clinic considering the size of the veterans population within the Greater Lehigh Valley and its distance from the main hospital for advanced services. Hopefully, this action is an acknowledgment of that need. (Does anyone remember the VA’s Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) process driven by the MISSION Act of 2108 which got blown out of the water in 2022 by the Congress, but identified the need for a more well-rounded healthcare facility in valley? Appropriate governmental response can be so long and slow.).
The new lease will provide 81,719 net usable square feet (NUSF) of replacement outpatient clinic space, a doubling of the current facility’s space. It will also supposedly include 600 parking spaces. Both figures suggest this will be a greatly expanded clinic in terms of services as well.
For the record, the lease will be for twenty years and cost $151,664,684.67. The leasor has not been identified as of yet.
Mr. Phillip Christy, the Principal Executive Director for the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction (OALC) and, therefore, the VA’s Chief Acquisition Officer, has stated, “Our mission is to provide world-class health care to our nation’s heroes. This new leased facility will significantly enhance access, expand capacity, and ensure Veterans receive the high-quality care and services.” May it so prove, for it is about time that this project is firmly underway after delays.
For more information, contact John Baloga at John.Baloga@va.gov or 570-824-3521 Ext. 24756.
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RJH
As of 8 July 2026
