WASHINGTON – New additions at University Drive and Aspinwall, a new spinal cord injury center in Philadelphia and consolidation of Highland Drive inpatient services in Pittsburgh are part of a comprehensive plan by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize its nationwide system of health care facilities.
In addition, inpatient beds will remain open at the Erie and Altoona VA medical centers.
"These changes will provide greater access to care for veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "By strengthening our network of outpatient clinics, we will bring a greater quality of care closer to where most of Pennsylvania’s veterans live."
About 245,000 of Pennsylvania’s 1.1 million veterans were treated last year in VA’s health care facilities, up from 189,000 in 2000. In 2003, VA spent $2.3 billion in Pennsylvania, an increase from $1.9 billion three years ago.
Secretary Principi noted that about 80 percent of the health care provided by VA is outpatient care. He said the plan would allow the department to provide more of the outpatient care veterans want and use, while building upon VA's expertise in providing highly specialized inpatient care.
The changes are part of a comprehensive plan called CARES, short for "Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services." The secretary's CARES report can be viewed in its entirety on VA's Web site at http://www.va.gov/CARES.
Briefly, the secretary's announcement included the following for Pennsylvania:
Realign inpatient services at Pittsburgh's Highland Drive Division to other nearby divisions at University Drive and Aspinwall, and close the Highland Drive VA Medical Center. About 35 percent – or 300,000 square feet – of Highland Drive’s 850,000-square-foot campus is vacant;
Build new additions at University Drive and Aspinwall to house psychiatry, mental health and related research and administrative services;
Explore enhanced-use leasing of Highland Drive for an assisted living facility and other compatible uses for veterans;
Proceed with proposal to provide inpatient care for veterans through the construction of a new ButlerMemorialHospital on the grounds of the Butler VA Medical Center. This arrangement would allow VA to close its acute inpatient beds and continue care for area veterans on the Butler campus;
Keep inpatient beds open at the Erie VA Medical Center;
Keep inpatient beds open at the Altoona VA Medical Center; and
Build a new certified outpatient spinal cord injury center at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
CARES is a plan to modernize and improve VA's health care system. Among the elements of the Secretary’s CARES decision are more than 150 new community based outpatient clinics, potential creation of four new - and expansion of five existing - spinal cord injury centers, two new blind rehabilitation centers, and expansions throughout VA’s healthcare system that will enhance veterans’ access to VA care.
In July 1999, a General Accounting Office study found that VA was diverting a million dollars a day – or $3.6 billion during a decade – from veterans' health care to maintenance on unneeded or unused facilities. The average age of VA's more than 4,900 buildings is more than 50 years, and the need to reduce vacant space and unneeded buildings has been the focus of several reports by the General Accounting Office.
This approach to facility's management means the dollars once wasted on old and vacant buildings can be used to enhance services in the communities where health care is provided.
CARES was developed to identify the infrastructure VA will need to care for veterans in the 21st century, redirecting resources from unneeded buildings to veterans' care. Savings from CARES will be retained locally and used locally to strengthen health care services for local veterans.
"CARES modernizes VA’s 74-year old health care system," said Principi. "I want to emphasize that no veteran will lose health care as a result of CARES, nor will there be any gaps in their health care services."
The CARES plan was reviewed by an independent commission, which received more than 212,000 comments and held 81 site visits to VA and Department of Defense medical facilities, and State Veterans Homes, 38 public hearings and 10 formal meetings. The commission submitted its recommendations to Secretary Principi in mid-February.
