Reid says veterans home in LV a priority

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid said the federal government is pushing forward with a planned military veterans nursing home in Southern Nevada following Gov. Bob Miller's commitment to provide more than $6 million in state funds -- 35 percent of the cost.

Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday he contacted Veterans Affairs Secretary Jesse Brown, and said he is "fully supportive" of the efforts to build the $19.3 million, 180-bed skilled nursing facility. Plans are to build it on Las Vegas Boulevard North, just north of the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital.

Reid said if the state can certify it has the funds and passes a bill authorizing the home, "we could receive federal dollars and break ground on this much-needed facility as early as next year."

The project, as with most VA facilities, will be financed 65 percent by the federal government. Financing for the operation of the home will have the same 65-35 split.

Reid's action was in response to concerns expressed by local veterans who told the SUN earlier this week they did not want to see the long-planned project moved to the back burner, similar to what happened with the veterans cemetery and O'Callaghan Hospital, which spent years on the drawing board.

"I told Secretary Brown of the governor's recent statements and he is pleased that Nevada is committed to delivering its share of the funding," Reid said Thursday. "He is fully supportive and will do anything he can to help us."

Reid last year promised he would make construction of the home one of his top priorities for the 105th Congress. He noted that Nevada is one of only nine states without a veterans home.

Nevada has an estimated 186,000 veterans, and that figure is growing. Its numbers include many who suffer from chronic long-term ailments associated with aging, Reid said.

Miller's plan was presented Tuesday to the state Public Works Board, which included it on a list of $300 million in building projects for the next two years.