WASHINGTON – A study for a replacement facility for the Louisville VA Medical Center, expanding the Fort Knox outpatient clinic, opening 10 new community clinics and developing a master plan to reduce the size of its Leestown campus 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 for Kentucky 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 Kentucky’s veterans live."
About 79,000 of Kentucky’s 366,000 veterans were treated last year in VA’s health care facilities, up from 73,000 in 2000. In 2003, VA spent $958 million in Kentucky, an increase from $677 million 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 report can be viewed in its entirety on VA's Web site at http://www.va.gov/CARES.
Principi’s announcement includes the following enhancements for health care affecting veterans in Kentucky:
Study the need for a replacement facility for the Louisville VA Medical Center;
Open 10 new outpatient clinics in Glasgow, two clinics in Hopkins County, Grayson County, Carroll County, Berea, Perry County, London, Graves County and Davies County by 2012;
Work with the Department of Defense to expand space for primary care and outpatient mental health services at the Fort Knox community clinic;
Increase use of telemedicine to support specialty care;
Expand mental health services in outpatient clinics;
Develop a master plan to more effectively use space at the Leestown campus by pursuing enhanced use lease opportunities; and
Transfer 50 acres of land from the Mountain Home VA Medical Center to the National Cemetery Administration for cemetery expansion.
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.
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.
