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For Immediate Release Wednesday, August 6, 2008 |
CONTACTS:
Sen. Salazar – Matt Lee-Ashley – 202-228-5905 |
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Recently, the Colorado congressional delegation and Colorado veterans groups confirmed that the VA had shelved plans for a stand-alone hospital in January, despite nearly four years of work on the plan. In the letter sent today, the Members requested that Secretary Peake resume work with the Colorado congressional delegation on the original concept of a stand-alone facility and to look for potential adjustments or cost-saving measures that may be appropriate. Excerpts of the letter, sent by Sen. Salazar, Sen. Allard, Cong. Perlmutter, Cong. Degette, Cong. Udall, and Cong. Salazar, are below. The full letter can be found by clicking here. “As you know, the proposal for a state-of-the-art veterans’ facility at Fitzsimons was a centerpiece of the VA’s capital construction plan under the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process. The initial CARES process, which began in 1999, was the most comprehensive assessment of VA capital infrastructure and demands for VA health care in the Department’s history. In 2004, after having received the recommendations of the CARES commission, then-Secretary Principi submitted a plan to Congress detailing the capital construction priorities for which the VA intended to seek congressional authorization. The Secretary’s plan identified the VA hospital at Fitzsimons as one if its top medical “major construction” priorities. “…In April 2008, the VA proposed a new plan that would considerably alter the original project objective. Since that time, we have had productive consultations with VA leadership, veterans’ groups, and other stakeholders to discuss the differences between the CARES-authorized design and the new proposal. “We have concluded that the best way forward is to continue with a modified version of the original, comprehensive, stand-alone hospital concept as outlined by the VA through the CARES process. We believe that the CARES-recommended plan is the only fully vetted proposal that fulfills both the needs of veterans throughout the Rocky Mountain West as well as the guidelines outlined by the VA’s own comprehensive review and design process. It is also the most developed and therefore represents the most expeditious route to a new VA facility…. “In the VA’s own internal planning documents, several cost-saving measures are proposed for the CARES-recommended stand-alone hospital concept. We recognize that the $1.06 billion estimate is high, especially when compared with other hospitals under construction across the state; that is why we look forward to working with the VA and with veterans’ groups to explore alternative design concepts and other ways in which cost-savings can be achieved. In addition, there are cost-saving aspects of the new plan released in April of this year that do warrant serious attention as we move forward. “We view the Fitzsimons
VA hospital project not only as a VA project, but as a collaborative
effort between the Department, the Colorado Congressional delegation,
and the veterans whom it is our shared duty to serve. We all bear responsibility,
and so we must all work together to ensure veterans throughout the Rocky
Mountain West can benefit from the most comprehensive health service-delivery
plan that our government can provide.” # # # |
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