More than a hundred people gathered beneath a blustery winter sky Friday to celebrate the opening of a new Veterans Affairs clinic in Kalispell.  

The building, located across from Glacier High School, replaces a smaller facility off Three Mile Drive. The interior boasts 18 exam rooms and five consultation rooms — with specific spaces designated for women’s health, telehealth and behavioral health services — while the exterior includes more than 100 parking spaces and a covered area for drop-offs.  

Veterans can also book appointments with an in-house audiologist or optometrist, and a 2,000-square foot physical rehabilitation clinic on the site is set to open in the coming months.  

But for registered nurse Galen Sullivan, the biggest difference comes in the way of small details like larger exam rooms and wider doorways. A veteran, Sullivan regularly visited the old Kalispell clinic as a patient. The building was cramped, he recalled, and beat-down from years of use. He’s happy to offer his patients a more enjoyable experience at the new clinic. 

“It’s more comfortable. It doesn’t feel as confined,” said Sullivan. “That’s one of the really nice things about having this brand-new space here.”   

The new clinic is specifically designed around the Patient Aligned Care Team model, which aims to streamline patient care by having a team of doctors and nurses actively collaborate across disciplines. Under a traditional care model, a patient may have to consult with several different specialists to receive the medical care they need. 

When patients come into the Kalispell clinic for an appointment, “they don’t have to leave the room,” said Kimberly Adkins, the acting executive director of Veterans Affairs Montana health care. “We’re not running them all over the clinic. They come in, they have a seat in one place and they get all of their care needs met in that space." 

At the previous Kalispell clinic, patients were assigned to one of five Patient Aligned Care Teams. With the expanded floorplan, Adkins said the clinic was able to hire an additional team, effectively expanding the clinic’s patient capacity by 20%. 

That’s a welcome addition for veterans like Joe Furr. A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Furr volunteers for Disabled American Veterans, driving other veterans to health care appointments. The trips often take hours, and Furr said he was hopeful the expanded capacity at the Kalispell clinic would make it easier for veterans in Northwest Montana to seek care. 

His own experiences with the clinic have been resoundingly positive. Furr made his first appointment a few weeks ago, after moving from Great Falls. 

“It was very quick. They saw me right away. The doctor was very personable,” said Furr. “It really made me feel at ease.” 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].