SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) – There was a hard-earned celebration Monday morning, as the Shawnee VA Clinic had its re-grand opening. 

“I’m blown away by how quickly we were able to do this,” said Nicole Hall, a health system specialist at the facility. 

The clinic, which originally opened about a year ago, was destroyed in the April 19 tornadoes that tore through Shawnee.

Hall shared pictures and video with KFOR showing insulation hanging from the ceiling, shattered glass doors and a debris-littered parking lot. 

“I was like ‘I don’t think it’s going to be salvageable,’” said Hall. “We thought it was going to be a total loss.” 

This forced the clinic to run its operation, which helps hundreds of patients, from the field. 

“It has been very challenging,” said Wade Vlosich, the Oklahoma City VA’s Medical Center Director. “We were having to provide care to veterans either in Oklahoma City or out of basically a trailer and so now that we have this new clinic back up and running, we are excited to provide service to all the veterans in Shawnee.” 

The clinic reopened its doors Monday, looking day and night from how it did in April. 

Primary care appointments, mental health help and lab work are among the services offered. In addition, a new physical therapy program will start next month. 

“I anticipate physical therapy is going to be very, very busy right off the bat,” said Hall. 

When asked what the last 5 months taught her about her coworkers and the people of Shawnee, Hall said the word ‘perseverance’ came to mind. 

“Nothing deters them,” said Hall. “It’s amazing.”