Eligible veterans in parts of Arizona, California, Minnesota and elsewhere will have better access to professional counseling services next year at three new Department of Veterans Affairs-managed centers, VA officials announced Friday.
The VA plans to open new facilities — called Vet Centers — geared toward providing therapy and readjustment counseling in Sierra Vista, Arizona; Solano County, California; and St. Cloud, Minnesota, in early 2024.
Six satellite stations also will be established or expanded into full-service Vet Centers in Vineland, New Jersey; Clarksville, Tennessee; Fredericksburg and Leesburg, Virginia; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth.
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Vet Centers offer an array of services such as counseling on military-related issues and trauma, bereavement and readjustment; substance abuse assessments; and referrals and screenings for mental health conditions for veterans who meet the eligibility criteria.
According to Michael Fisher, chief readjustment counseling officer for the Vet Centers at the Veterans Health Administration, the new and expanded locations were chosen for a projected need in those areas as veterans transition out of the military, relocate or seek assistance.
Fisher could not say how many people will be served by these…
