EL PASO, Texas -- A new William Beaumont Army Medical Center could help with the influx of soldiers and their families moving to El Paso because of the Base Realignment and Closure plan. In a community like El Paso, people can't help but wonder how a new Beaumont can help area veterans.

"I'm a liver transplant patient, and I also lost my right kidney to cancer," said Vietnam veteran John Ceballos.

Ceballos uses the services at the Veterans Affairs Clinic in Northeast El Paso regularly, and he also uses the William Beaumont Army Medical Center for extensive care. He said another medical center on the other side of town is a good idea.

"They're definitely going to need it with all the troops coming in," said Ceballos.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes announced in his newsletter that funding for planning and design of a new William Beaumont Army Medical Center is included in the 2009 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill. He said $78.5 million will be used for planning and design before construction can begin on the multi-phase; multi-year project.

The proposed 150-acre health care campus will be located off Loop 375 near the future interloop. Reyes was not available for an interview, and it's not clear yet what new services, if any, the center will offer. But area veterans like Ceballos wonder if the new Beaumont can benefit them.

"If they don't have the specialized service available like they have here at Beaumont, it's not going to make much of a difference for veterans," said Ceballos.

Currently, veterans travel to other places like Albuquerque or San Antonio for services not available at Beaumont.

"A lot of people feel the perfect solution would be new east side for active duty and change Beaumont to be a veterans hospital," said Ceballos.

As we've reported last month, Mayor John Cook said he will lobby for a veterans hospital in El Paso. But in the meantime, a new primary-care outpatient clinic in East El Paso will be opened by the El Paso Department Veteran Affairs Healthcare System sometime next year.