Onvida Health gets $500,000 grant to expand veteran care in Yuma County

Dr. Kristina Diaz said Onvida Health will use a new $500,000 grant to strengthen behavioral health care for veterans in Yuma County, giving local patients a better shot at getting specialized support without leaving the county. The money from the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services is aimed at helping Onvida better target care for veterans and Native American patients inside an existing system that already includes outpatient behavioral health, an intensive outpatient program and inpatient behavioral health services.

That matters in a county where veterans are a visible part of the community and where behavioral health access can be shaped by distance, transportation and whether care feels culturally responsive. Yuma County had an estimated population of 220,310 in 2024 and 224,449 in 2025, with 14,510 veterans counted in the 2020-2024 period. Census data also show the county is 66.1% Hispanic or Latino and 2.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, a mix that underscores why Onvida is emphasizing more focused outreach and support for Native American residents as well as veterans.

The grant is not for a new building. Instead, it is meant to add capacity to a health system that already sees the need and can absorb more targeted behavioral health work. Onvida’s existing services include medication therapy, psychotherapy and intensive outpatient care, along with inpatient treatment at the Onvida Health Behavioral Health Center. In practical terms, the funding is designed to help the hospital system better connect people to the right level of care, whether that means screening, counseling, referrals or coordination with other services.

The new funding also fits into a broader expansion of veteran care already underway in Yuma. On Jan. 23, Onvida Health and the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System broke ground on a 30,000-square-foot Yuma VA outpatient clinic at Onvida’s Foothills Medical Plaza in Fortuna Foothills. That clinic is expected to open in 2027, with reported services including primary care, women’s health, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Together, the clinic and the behavioral health grant point to a larger local push to bring more veteran care into Yuma County instead of sending patients elsewhere.

Onvida Health, which changed its name from Yuma Regional Medical Center in October 2024, has also been publicly described as a nonprofit system serving Yuma County and southwestern Arizona with two hospitals, 430 inpatient beds, 45 outpatient clinics and a free-standing emergency department. For veterans and their families, the latest grant adds another piece to a growing local care network that is built to keep more services in county.