The news regarding Van Zandt VA Medical Center couldn’t wait for an official announcement this afternoon from Veteran Affairs Secretary Anthony J. Principi.
The hospital will keep its acute care beds according to Ninth District Congressman Bill Shuster.
“I spoke to Secretary Principi late this afternoon and he was pleased to report that the acute care service beds at the Van Zandt VA Hospital would remain in tact,” said Shuster on Thursday afternoon. “I expressed my gratitude to him for his cooperation and understanding in preserving this important service to our veterans.”
The congressman planned to review the details of the report last evening and held a brief news conference this morning to discuss the details of the CARES commission report.
“I’m very pleased with the decision,” said Shuster. “I’ve worked with the secretary and Senator Specter on this to reach the outcome we’ve had.
“This means the retention of 28 acute care beds at Van Zandt,” Shuster told The Daily Herald. “Also, the VA plans on coming up with a plan to define rural healthcare for veterans throughout America.
“The strength of Van Zandt is its location so that veterans living in rural areas in this region don’t have to travel two to three hours for services.”
The report is the culmination of a three-year process to examine the Veterans Administration health care system.
Last year, the administration provided care for about 600,000 inpatient visits and 50 million outpatient visits according to a press release from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The official announcement regarding Van Zandt and other VA hospitals was expected in an announcement scheduled for 2 p.m. Following the official word from Secretary Principi, Van Zandt’s director Gerald L. Williams was also scheduled to hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m.
“We are unable to make any comment until the official announcement from the secretary,” said Cheryl Thompson, Van Zandt public affairs officer.
A press release from the VA stated the goal of the CARES commission report was to ensure the VA provides services to veterans where those services are most needed. The VA currently operated more than 800 clinics and more than 150 hospitals.
A 15-member independent commission conducted 38 public hearings and 10 public meetings around the country, heard from 770 witnesses, including 135 members of Congress and seven governors. It also received written comments from more than 212,000 people since it began its work in 2003. The commission gave its recommendations to the Secretary in February of 2004.
Tyrone Borough council was one of the many entities which showed support for the retention of beds at Van Zandt. Earlier this year, it passed a resolution to show support for the veterans who use the VA’s services. Letters in support of Van Zandt’s retaining its beds were sent to hospital officials as well as a variety of local, state and federal government officials.
Three other VA facilities including one in Pennsylvania did not fair as well as Van Zandt as a result of the commission’s report according to information from the Associated Press.
The Veterans Affairs Department will close three hospitals in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Mississippi and build two new ones in Nevada and Florida as part of its much-anticipated restructuring plan.
The agency also will add or remove medical services at dozens of other facilities.
VA Secretary Anthony Principi also has endorsed building 156 community-based outpatient clinics by 2012, with an emphasis on serving rural areas. Local VA officials had sought 270 clinics.
Under the plan, the VA expects to reduce costs for maintaining vacant space from $3.4 billion to $750 million by 2022 but projects spending $6 billion on new construction during that time.
After reviewing the commission recommendations, Principi decided to close three hospitals, in Pittsburgh, Brecksville, Ohio, and Gulfport, Miss. The hospitals must have a plan for closure by September. It was not immediately clear when they will shut their doors.
A fourth hospital, in Livermore, Calif., will have all its services except long-term care transferred elsewhere. However, a new VA nursing home will be established there.
The VA plans to continue studying ways to cut costs. Representatives from veterans groups who met with Principi on Thursday were told the agency would not close or eliminate services at any other locations before new or replacement services are available elsewhere in the area.
Veterans group leaders were reluctant to comment on the report because they had sketchy details and promised Principi they would withhold comment until the report was publicly released Friday. But the groups have tried to ensure the restructuring plans didn’t hurt veterans.
“We have been concerned about trying to take things too fast because when they looked at medical care and said what’s our access they were not looking at mental health and long-term care,” said John Brieden, American Legion national commander. “We didn’t want the VA to make decisions based on only partial information that would impact those areas.”
The department will build new hospitals in Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. The VA also wants to build new rehabilitation centers for the blind in Biloxi, Miss., and Long Beach, Calif., and place new spinal cord centers in Denver, Minneapolis, Syracuse, N.Y., and in a city that can serve Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and part of Missouri.
Congress will review Principi’s decision. It cannot change the plan but does have authority to determine whether to fund the changes. Congress had been unwilling to approve money for construction until the department came up with a restructuring plan.
There are an about 25 million veterans in the country, with more than 7 million enrolled in VA health care.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
