VA Salt Lake City Breaks Ground on New South Salt Lake Clinic
By Gregory House, Public affairs specialist
The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VASLCHCS) broke ground on a new primary care clinic Wednesday, July 8, at 3711 S. State St., the first step in a project that will move primary care out of the main hospital and into a facility built specifically for it.
The new construction will be roughly 112,000-square-feet and is expected to open in late 2028. When it does, primary care and women’s health services now offered at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center on Foothill Drive will relocate there, along with mental health care, pharmacy, pathology and lab medicine, and whole health services.
South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood spoke at the event and expressed pride in her city being able to serve Veterans.
“We often call South Salt Lake the ‘City of Kindness,’ and kindness starts with being a good neighbor,” she said. “In order to be a good neighbor, you have to look out for each other, especially the people who have worked to protect your community.”
VASLCHCS leadership also spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Today is more than the start of a construction project,” said Dr. Angela D. Williams, executive director of the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. “It is the beginning of another chapter in our commitment to the Veterans who served our nation with honor and sacrifice.”
In her remarks at the ceremony, Williams talked about what makes VASLCHCS successful.
“We often say that we are SLC Strong,” she said. “To us, that is more than a slogan. It means showing up for one another, it means finding solutions instead of barriers. It means leading with accountability, compassion and unwavering focus on the Veterans we serve every day.”
Williams said the move also frees up space at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center for specialty care.
“By relocating primary care and other essential services to South Salt Lake, we’re creating
additional capacity for specialty services at our medical center while improving convenience and access throughout the region,” she said.
Navy Veteran and South Salt Lake City resident Brett Tiedemann also spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. His message was simple: he wants Veterans to take advantage of the new location and take advantage of a better location.
“This is going to be a big boon for Veterans,” he said. “And again, to the Vets: it’s ours, let’s use it!”
Celebrating significant milestones like a new construction is important, but it is even more important to remember why milestones like this are celebrated
“For centuries, groundbreaking ceremonies have marked the beginning of something new and today is no different,” said VASLCHCS Deputy Chief of Communications Apollo Burgamy. “Years from now, few will remember the dirt we turned today or exactly where we stood this morning, but thousands of Veterans will remember finding answers that brought hope. Meeting a provider who listened or beginning the road to recovery within the walls that began here today.”
Las Vegas-based Molasky Development is building the project, with Layton Construction
serving as general contractor and Perkins Eastman leading design.
VA Salt Lake City Health Care System serves more than 80,000 veterans across Utah, Idaho and Nevada.