DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky Announces Opening of New VA Clinic

By Roxanne Squires

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. —  On Jan. 24, 2019, representatives from DLR Group|WRL, the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, and Carnegie Management and Development marked the official opening of the Gene Taylor Outpatient Clinic, a new Veterans Administration (VA) facility.

The new clinic is triple the size in overall square footage of the previous facility —expanding the range of available services and creating greater community access to healthcare.

The single story, 88,886-square-foot building highlights features include an abundance of natural daylight, increased seating capacity and access to outdoor walking trails.

The exterior façade applies materials such as brick, glass, and pre-finished metals, reminiscent of the Ozark area and providing a sense of familiarity to patients. 

DLR Group|WRL’s design overall embodies the VA’s mission of improving the quality of life for veterans, visitors, and staff. 

Based on the concept of Patient Aligned Care Team, the design juxtaposes patient exam rooms between waiting areas and staff work zones, allowing patients to be seen by multi-disciplined teams of MDs, MAs, RNs, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, and other caregivers. Co-locating these different healthcare services also eliminates the need for multiple moves, offering patients a more convenient, comprehensive stay.

Gene Taylor Outpatient Clinic’s expanded services include primary care and specialty clinics comprised of women’s health, podiatry, pain management and general surgery, a sleep lab, and audiology, vision, dental, pulmonary, laboratory and behavioral health units. It also houses diagnostic and treatment services including pharmacy, laboratory, and telehealth rooms for consultation with physicians based in other locations.

DLR Group|WRL is also seeking Silver LEED Certification for the building.