New VA Clinic to be built in Castle Rock

Veteran programs to expand

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System hosted a town hall at the Castle Pines Library Jan. 30 to discuss plans for the new Castle Rock VA Clinic and the expansions of the PACT Act and COMPACT Act.

Looking to open in late 2024 or early 2025, the Castle Rock VA Clinic will be a 20-year lease built at the northeast corner of Prairie Hawk Drive and Dacoro Lane.

e annual lease is estimated to be $1.3 million.

According to the director of the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Miachel Kilmer, the 20-year lease is a build to suit, meaning the contractor is going to take the VA’s design and build it based on the primary care model the VA wants.

“ e thing that makes me condent about the clinic is this is a build to suit,” said Kilmer. “ e landlord can’t start collecting rent until it’s built and we take occupancy. So, you’re going to have a motivated contractor.” e clinic is currently designed for eight primary care teams. However, Kilmer said they are going to reassess as they need to integrate mental health and whole health or complementary alternative medicines such as chiropractic, acupuncture and massage.

DCB Construction, the general contractor for the Loveland VA Clinic will build the Castle Rock VA Clinic.

In addition to the eight primary care teams, the total space will be 25,000 square feet and look to include a lab service. e clinic will not o er in-house eye care, a pharmacy or a dedicated full time women’s health clinic. However, there will be a women’s health fellowship.

“Veterans can choose who their providers are and I’m sure we’re going to have a combination of male and female providers at that clinic and they are all required to be certied in women’s health,”

Updates on the clinic will be provided through the veterans service organization, social media, the website and future town halls.

The PACT Act

According to Kilmer, the PACT Act is expanding presumptive conditions in making eligibility easier for those who have been exposed to toxic airs, radiations, smoke pits, Agent Orange and other general hazards.

“We’ve already seen about 260,000 PACT Act related claims since the legislation was signed into law on August 10 (2022),” said Michael Rohrbach, director of the Denver VA Regional O ce.

Rohrbach encourages veterans to work with their county and state veteran service organization representatives and le a claim for PACT Act.

The COMPACT Act

rough the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020, the VA will cover medical costs for veterans who receive emergency care for veterans who are at imminent risk of self-harm. e program started on Jan. 17.

is includes ambulances and other transportation costs.

According to Kilmer, veterans are eligible for up to 30 days of in-paitent or crisis residential care and up to 90 days of out-paitent care including social work. e act will cover the cost of care if one is discharged after more than 24 months of active duty service and discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. e COMPACT Act, “extended out eligibility for emergency suicide care to veterans who were the victims of physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of sexual nature or a sexual harrassment during their service,” said Kilmer.

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holder. In this case, as a member of the Board of County Commissioners, Lora omas is a privilege holder,” Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce Sgt. Bruce Peterson wrote in a memorandum. omas held a news conference in November and called the probe “yet another bogus investigation.”

‘Forced to find legal remedies’

Whether the county is obligated to pay omas’ legal fees depends on whether she was acting in the scope of her duties or her actions were “willful and wanton.”

“If you believe that the actions of ( omas) were purposely pursued in order to likely result in harm to the county, then that would be willful and wanton,” Chris Pratt, interim Douglas County attorney, told the commissioners during the

Laydon argued Arapahoe County “got it wrong” in evaluating omas’ actions, saying “the privileged holder of a con dential document is the board” and not just one member of the board. He based his point on Pratt’s understanding of the law.

“ e release of a privileged document is not something an individual (commissioner) can do. Leaking something to the press is highly inappropriate,” Laydon said. “Commissioner omas has never indicated that she did not do that. Which, again, I think that lack of candor really speaks to the lack of trustworthiness that we’ve experienced here. So no, I am not interested in asking the taxpayers to spend money to defend willful and wanton action.”

An old court case that involved and a board of county commissioners came up during the conversation.

“It was an argument over salaries for employees,” Pratt said. “In that case, the court ordered the board to pay for the legal fees for the treasurer’s o ce. e court felt it was inappropriate for the board to create a legal dispute and then require another elected o ce to pay.” omas was undeterred, arguing the situation is still the county’s responsibility.

But Pratt was not sure the case applies to omas’ situation, given that the current dispute is within the Douglas board of commissioners itself rather than two di erent entities, he said.

“What I am saying is that if you decide to not follow the law and pay my legal bills, then I will be forced to nd legal remedies to be made whole as the law allows,” omas said. omas also said she was “willing to o er a compromise” to Laydon and Teal.

“If you two are willing to split the almost $23,000 that you cost the taxpayers, and you write a check to the county by Feb. 15 — if you’re really concerned about taxpayer dollars here — you each write a check for almost $11,500 to pay the county back for the frivolous $23,000 bill you charged them,” omas said. “After those personal checks clear, I will waive my right to my attorney’s fees.”

Laydon responded: “I want to be unequivocal that it was you that cost the taxpayers $23,000.” e allegations toward omas were based on the use of an anonymous letter sent to the commissioners on April 29, 2019, and whether the information in the document was used in her unsuccessful 2022 campaign for Douglas County sheri . is story draws from Colorado Community Media reporting by Elliott Wenzler and Haley Lena.

“It’s your behavior. I don’t think George and I have any interest in engaging counsel to deal with misconduct of a commissioner,” Laydon said.

Recently, Laydon again accused omas in a Jan. 31 letter of leaking “classi ed” materials, pointing to the content of a story written by Colorado Community Media. Laydon did not specify what exactly in the CCM story he was referring to as being classi ed.