EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso Veterans Wellness Center has been under construction since spring 2023 and is one step closer to completion with a special event to mark the occasion this week.
The state-of-the-art facility will be brought to Borderlands by Endeavours and is due for completion at the end of 2025.
The center will include integrated mental and physical health services based on suicide prevention for borderland veterans.
This model offers telehealth and in-person services, along with support groups, professional development training, fitness centers, group fitness classes, case management, and more.
Ben Miranda, director of corporate relations for the Endeavors organization, told KTSM that the facility is only the second in the nation. The first one is in San Antonio.
Miranda explained that the center is for veterans, first responders and their families.
“For massage therapy, acupuncture, any kind of service, you just come in. But the good thing is, when you’re getting a massage, you can talk to the therapist and tell them you’d like to see a mental health counselor as well, and the town’s opposition You don’t have to drive to the side, you’re right there,” Miranda said.
It’s all in an effort to prevent suicide and save “lives, marriages, and families.”
Miranda explained that after conducting a veterans needs assessment analysis in 2019, there is a great need for such a facility in El Paso.
“Some of those needs include more mental health services, more connected services, more wellness services,” he said.
The group worked with the city, county and chamber of commerce and determined the best location for the center would be between zip codes 79936 and 79938, where most veterans and their families live.
Endeavors will hold a special event on Wednesday, May 22nd at the corner of Pebble Hills and Joe Battle, where the center is located.
The final steel frame will be completed in a special ceremony that will include local veterans.
Endeavors is asking everyone who wants to take part to gather at 8.30am and leave a signature or inspirational message before the final beam is raised.
