VA Announces New Bakersfield Outpatient Clinic to Replace Decades-Old Facility

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a new, modernized Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Bakersfield, California, to replace the existing clinic, which the officials involved describe as decades old and unable to meet growing patient demand. VA Secretary Doug Collins made the announcement in Bakersfield alongside Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA).

According to Fong, the VA has accepted the new clinic and aims to welcome its first patients this December. He said the announcement also allows work to move ahead on the permanent facility veterans were promised.

Collins said the current clinic has HVAC and plumbing problems and lacks enough space. He added that the new clinic lets the VA exit a lease that was costing millions of additional dollars per year. Valadao said the existing clinic has served thousands of veterans for over thirty years, and the new one is expected to expand access to primary care, mental health, dental, rehabilitation and other specialty services.

Congress authorized the project in 2009, according to the lawmakers’ background notes. Repeated legal challenges stalled construction for more than a decade. The project is now moving forward following a July 2025 court ruling in favor of the City of Bakersfield.

Why it matters

Veterans in Kern County could have access to a newer facility with more services as early as December, based on the VA’s target. The project also shows a long-delayed federal construction effort moving forward after a court ruling.

Source: Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA), October 9, 2026. Read the original release