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February 1, 2010 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson applauded President Obama’s 2011 budget for committing to a major construction project at the Omaha Veterans Medical Center, and to providing veterans in the Midwest with a 21st Century health care facility. The budget provides $56 million for planning and design toward substantial modernization of the hospital.
“The commitment by the President and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki is very good news for the thousands of veterans in Nebraska and western Iowa,” said Senator Nelson. “Caring for our military veterans remains one of America’s highest priorities and I applaud this commitment to a major modernization of the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System in Omaha.
“The President’s 2011 budget recognizes that the current hospital’s serious infrastructure deficiencies must be addressed. The VA’s own study released last summer helped make the case when it found seriously outdated surgery facilities, aging infrastructure and significant space deficiencies at the medical center originally built in the 1950s,” the senator added.
“It is right for the President and Secretary Shinseki to honor our fighting men and women with a top-flight medical facility to deliver the care they deserve. Al Washko, the director of the Omaha VA Medical Center, and the staff have done outstanding work to address the current and future needs of the more than 160,000 veterans served at this facility. Working with them, the Omaha area community and Congress, I will do whatever I can to see this project through to completion,” said Nelson.
Nelson’s comments came in response to the President’s 2011 budget proposal released today, February 1, 2010. The budget puts the Omaha VA on the Veterans Administration’s major construction list.
The budget calls for $56 million for planning and design that could lead to a major overhaul or new facility. The budget proposes to construct a new inpatient tower and surgical suite, renovates the existing Outpatient Clinic and increases parking at the facility. The cost of the overall project is estimated at $560 million. Construction could begin in 2012.
The current 57-year-old Omaha VA facility faces numerous infrastructure challenges. Local VA officials in Omaha have sought funding for a major overhaul or replacement of the building.
Senator Nelson has worked on a bipartisan basis with other members of the Nebraska congressional delegation and two administrations on addressing the facilities needs at the Omaha VA hospital.
Some of the senator’s efforts include:
March 12, 2008 – Nelson and Congressman Lee Terry met with VA facilities personnel to discuss the Omaha VA Medical Center
April 8th, 2008 – Nelson invited former VA Secretary, James Peake, to visit the Omaha VA Medical Center
April 10th, 2008 – Nelson had a personal follow-up with Secretary Peake to discuss the Omaha VA Medical Center
June 9th, 2008 – Nelson hosted Secretary Peake, Rep. Lee Terry, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, leaders from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Creighton Medical Center and key Omaha business partners to discuss the Omaha VA Medical Center
July 15th, 2008 – Nelson had a personal follow-up with Secretary Peake to discuss conducting a feasibility study on the Omaha VA Medical Center
August 25th, 2008 – Nelson announced a feasibility study commissioned by the VA to review conditions at the Omaha VA Medical Center
April 22nd, 2008 – Nelson met with Secretary Shinseki to discuss Omaha VA
June 11th, 2009 – Senator Nelson attended the Military Construction-VA Appropriations Committee hearing to discuss the Omaha VA facility with Secretary Shinseki
June 12th, 2009 - Nelson had a personal follow-up with Secretary Shinseki who committed to deploy his Chief of Staff to Omaha to survey the Medical Center
The VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System serves more than 167,661 veterans in Nebraska, western Iowa and sections of Kansas and Missouri. The Omaha VA Medical Center offers both inpatient and outpatient primary and specialty care services.
The Omaha VA provides inpatient, medical, surgical, and psychiatric care in addition to its ambulatory care services and clinical research programs. OVAMC has dual affiliations with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University. The facility is authorized for 100 acute beds and 18 Psychiatric Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) beds.
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