August 22, 2007
Contact: Robin Winchell (202) 225-4031
Washington,
D.C. - Three lawmakers today
commended the announcement made by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA)
that a site has been chosen for the reconstruction of the New Orleans VA
hospital destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
This announcement closely follows the second of two hearings
held by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on
Energy and Commerce on the continually poor state of healthcare facilities for
residents of New Orleans
and surrounding areas. At the August 1 hearing, New Orleans Mayor Ray
Nagin along with federal and local public health officials testified on the
difficulty of retaining healthcare workers in the region, the lack of reopened
hospitals and clinics, and the hardships for doctors attempting to sustain
their practices in the region.
"It is a relief to know that the Department of Veterans'
Affairs is making concrete progress in its rebuilding efforts," said Committee
on Energy and Commerce Chairman John D. Dingell (D-MI). "I sincerely hope
that other health care organizations in the region follow VA's good
example. It is imperative that this and other area hospitals undergo the
necessary repairs and open their doors as soon as possible. The people of
this region deserve better, especially when it comes to protecting their
health."
"Our Committee staff were able to
work in a bipartisan manner to push for the VA to continue to provide service
in downtown New Orleans,"
said Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), the Chairman of the Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee. "Maintaining health services for veterans in
New Orleans is
an important stride towards bringing health care in this city back to
pre-Katrina levels. I am pleased that our Committee was able to draw
attention to this issue and, as Chairman of the Subcommittee, I will continue
to focus on what needs to be done to restore health care services in New Orleans."
Melancon continued, "I am pleased that the VA has announced
the preferred site for the reconstruction of a VA Medical Center in downtown New Orleans. The
VA's ultimate decision to rebuild at this downtown site will lay the foundation
for the recovery of the region's healthcare network and will have a powerful
and positive impact on New Orleans' overall recovery efforts," said Rep.
Charlie Melancon (D-LA), the Vice-Chair of the Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee.
"The downtown site will provide veterans in south Louisiana with
high-quality health care in an easily
accessible location and will also be a critical asset in teaching our state's
future physicians and health care professionals. The VA medical center,
together with the Medical Center of Louisiana, LSU and Tulane's medical
schools, the coming Cancer
Research Center,
and a biosciences research corridor, will be an epicenter for high-quality
primary and specialty health care that this region needs and deserves.
The people of Louisiana
are not looking to just rebuild what was lost to the storms; they are working
to rebuild bigger and better than before, and I am confident that the VA's
commitment to rebuild in the downtown area will help do just that."
Please visit http://energycommerce.house.gov
for more information and hearing testimony.
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