The construction of another Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic in the Tampa area adds to the list of factors that can boost military retirement in Tampa. Health care facilities, especially those that cater to military personnel and their families, are among factors that prospective military retirees consider when choosing their place of retirement. According to a VA chart, there are more than 350,000 veterans living in the counties of Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Pinellas and Sarasota.
This March, the U.S. Deparment of Veterans Affairs has taken another step in its effort to expand its medical care facilities in the Tampa Bay area by awarding a contract to Duke Realty to construct a 106,000-square-foot at Hidden River Corporate Park in Tampa to be used to house its new VA primary care clinic. This two-story medical facility, scheduled to be completed in 2014,will provide primary care services for more than 87,000 veterans in the counties of Polk, Pasco, Hernando and Hillsborough.
Certainly, the new VA clinic is another signification addition to the following VA administrative and health care facilities attracting military retirement in the Tampa area:
James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
Tampa, FL 3612
This hospital has two Veterans Administration (VA) facilities located in Tampa and New Port Richey and three VA community-based outpatient clinics in Lakeland, Zephyrhills and Brooksville.
Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) in the Tampa Bay area
Zephyrhills CBOC
6937 Medical View Lane
Zephyrhills, FL 33541
t.Petersburg CBOC
840 Dr. MLK Jr. Street N
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Lakeland CBOC
4237 South Pipkin Road
Lakeland, FL 33542
Sarasota CBOC
5682 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 100
Sarasota, FL 34233
Veteran Centers in the Tampa Bay area
Tampa Vet Center
Fountain Oaks Business Plaza, Suite 600
3637 W. Waters Avenue
Tampa, FL 33614
Clearwater Vet Center
29259 US Highway 19 North
Clearwater, FL 33761
3A RCS Southeast Regional Office in Clearwater
29529 US Highway 19 North
Clearwater, FL 33761
Pasco County Vet Center in Odessa
4111 Land O’Lakes Boulevard
Odessa, FL 33525
Polk County Vet Center in Lakeland
210 N Missouri Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33815
Sarasota Vet Center
4801 Swift Road Suite A
Sarasota, FL 34231
St. Petersburg Vet Center
6798 Crosswinds Drive N Gaslight Square Bdlg A
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
VISN 8: VA Sunshine Healthcare Network
140 Fountain Parkway
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
Veterans Benefits Administration Offices in the Tampa Bay area
St. Petersburg Regional Office
9500 Bay Pines Boulevard
St. Petersburg, FL 33708
Intake Site at MacDill Air Force Base
Base Hospital 2nd Floor, Room C 277
Tampa, FL 33621
Indeed, military retirement in Tampa is being considered by relatively large numbers of veterans because in addition to the abundance of health care facilities dedicated to veterans, the Tampa Bay area also hosts military bases such as the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, the Coast Guard Sector facility in St. Petersburg and the Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater. There are also institutions that offer special continuing education opportunities to veterans such as the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College.