Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2003) - Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Fl-01) today announced the passage of the authorization of up to $45 Million for a joint VA-DOD clinic in Pensacola in the Veterans’ Health Care Facilities Capitol improvement Act, H.R. 1720. The House of Representatives passed the bill without objection this afternoon.
“This bill provides the critical and important next step to providing veterans and the military communities in Northwest Florida with state-of-the-art health care in a new combined Navy-VA Clinic in Pensacola,” Miller said. “Now this is in the hands of the Senate, but today’s passage is a victory on the road to better veterans’ healthcare in Northwest Florida.”
In September 2002, the Director of the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System and the Commanding Officer of Naval Hospital Pensacola co-authored an innovative DoD/VA collaborative business plan, which has been acknowledged by Secretary Principi, then-Secretary England and the VISN 16 Director. Secretary Principi gave resounding endorsement to this business plan for a joint ambulatory care center.
In August 2003, the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Draft National Plan was released. It included the joint Pensacola clinic as its “highest-priority project request.” The essential groundwork has been laid, and this authorization is consistent with work on VA-DoD sharing in the health resources area in the 107th Congress on Public Law 107-314.
“The time to move forward on a new, combined facility is now. Our bill sets the stage for that progress on behalf of veterans in my district,” Miller added.
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