Press Release - Gov. Urges Standalone Veterans Hospital
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OFFICE OF GOVERNOR BILL RITTER, JR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, FEB. 27, 2009
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER URGES STANDALONE VETERANS HOSPITAL AT FITZSIMONS
Gov. Bill Ritter has urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to hasten construction of a standalone veterans medical center at the Fitzsimons medical campus in Aurora. Gov. Ritter sent the following letter to Secretary Shinseki yesterday:
February 26, 2009
General Eric Shinseki
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Secretary Shinseki,
First, let me offer my congratulations on your confirmation as Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs (the "VA"). I am confident that you will do a tremendous job helping our nation's veterans and their families.
Colorado's Congressional delegation has already sent you a letter regarding the delay in the construction of a new Veterans Medical Center at the former Fitzsimons Army Base in Aurora, Colorado. I take this opportunity to echo their concerns, and voice my strong support for a stand-alone medical facility as outlined by the Veterans Administration's Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission (the "Commission").
Since the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center was deactivated in 1999, a coalition made up of veterans groups, federal, state and local officials have worked with the VA to determine the best use of the facility. In its 2004 report, the Commission concluded that the veterans hospital in central Denver was one of the most outdated facilities in the nation and that it should be replaced with a stand-alone, tertiary care hospital. The report recommended that the hospital complex include a spinal cord injury center, a replacement nursing home and a sub-acute rehabilitation unit.
Last year, Secretary Peake proposed a 'hospital within a hospital' concept for the Fitzsimons site with the University of Colorado. The Colorado coalition is strongly opposed to that concept. My hope is that the VA, under your leadership, will no longer pursue the Peake plan and, instead, will implement something more consistent with the Commission's 2004 recommendations. The Colorado coalition stands as an able and willing partner to help the VA reach the goal of building and maintaining a cost-effective, but comprehensive, stand-alone facility.
With over 400,000 veterans living in Colorado, I want to provide them with the best health care available. I felt that it was vitally important to inform you of my position on this project. I thank you for your commitment to our nation's veterans, and I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor