WASHINGTON – A new outpatient clinic in Charleston, improved access to inpatient care in Central Illinois by contracting for inpatient care and enhanced use lease projects at the Danville medical center are part of a comprehensive plan by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize its nationwide system of health care facilities.
“These changes will provide greater access to care of veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “By strengthening our network of outpatient clinics, VA will bring a greater quality of care closer to where most of Illinois veterans live.”
About 185,345 of Illinois’s 945,487 veterans were treated last year in VA’s health care facilities, down from 235,000 in 2000.
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.
Although the Chicago area was involved in the first phase of CARES, which was announced in February 2002 and is now in the implementation phase, the secretary's announcement included the southern portion of the state.
Open a new outpatient clinic in Charleston;
Improve access to inpatient care in Central Illinois by contracting for inpatient care; and
Pursue enhanced use lease projects at the VA medical center in Danville.
The Chicago area is in the implementation phase of CARES, with numerous changes already underway.
The Hines VA Hospital is constructing a 102-bed comprehensive rehabilitation center consisting of a 68-bed spinal cord injury center and a 34-bed blind rehabilitation center;
VA Chicago Health Care System is consolidating inpatient services at the West Side campus, constructing a new bed tower at West Side and enhanced-use leasing the Lakeside property; and
North Chicago is modernizing its acute psychiatry services and exploring sharing opportunities with Naval Hospital Great Lakes.
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 of 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 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.
