(Las Vegas, NV) This afternoon, U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley toured the A.D. Guy Ambulatory Care Center to inspect structural damage to the five-year old building. After receiving a briefing from clinic staff, Berkley called for a new, full-service hospital in southern Nevada, incorporating inpatient and outpatient services, along with long-term care and traditional clinic services.

"When you have a lemon, you make lemonade," said Berkley. "And we’ve got a lemon on our hands. It’s an outrage that a five-year old building should be in such a state of disrepair, and we need to find out who’s responsible. But as I look ahead, I am convinced that we can turn this into a positive outcome for southern Nevada veterans. Veterans’ medical needs here in southern Nevada have begun to outstrip the resources of the current clinic. What we need in southern Nevada is a full-fledged hospital, incorporating all inpatient and outpatient services. This is the perfect opportunity to cut our losses with the clinic, and get ourselves a first rate hospital."

Currently, while the veterans’ clinic can handle general outpatient services, inpatient services must be provided through referral to the O’Callaghan Federal Hospital, owned by the Air Force, as well as off-site subcontractors and the nearest Veterans’ Hospital in California. Berkley says that it is absurd to ask southern Nevada veterans to drive to Long Beach for surgeries, when the growing southern Nevada veterans population justifies a dedicated, full-service facility in southern Nevada.

Berkley, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, recently broached the idea of a full-service hospital with Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, Anthony Principi, and plans to revisit the issue with the VA chief over the coming month. In the meantime, Berkley is concerned about immediate solutions for a replacement facility to the A.D. Guy Clinic, and ensuring that southern Nevada veterans are not left without needed medical care when the current facility is abandoned in coming months.

"The important thing is that there is an absolute minimum of disruption in care, and that the replacement facility is accessible by public transportation and close to parking," said Berkley of the short-term plans. "I am encouraging the clinic staff to find one single location for a replacement facility, so that Nevada veterans will not have to travel all over the Valley to get the services they need, and after today’s meeting, I am confident that the Director and his staff are doing everything in their power, not only to mitigate these problems, but to turn this into a net benefit for all our veterans."