VA assures there will be new facilities

Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004 | 9:52 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- A Veterans Affairs official is assuring Rep. Shelley Berkley that Southern Nevada will receive three new veterans health care facilities regardless of any medical additions at Nellis Air Force base.

At a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Health Robert H. Roswell told Berkley, a Nevada Democrat, that "there is no question" that the recent rapid population growth in Las Vegas will require more nursing home beds and other medical care for veterans.

"Secretary (Anthony) Principi and Roswell have been the prime movers and shakers in creating VA campus," Berkley said. "(Roswell) is very aware of it and knows what needs to be done."

Berkley said she knew Roswell supported the new facilities before asking him questions at Wednesday's hearing but used it as an opportunity to get Nevada's problems on the record.

Veterans Affairs has proposed building a new 81-bed veterans hospital, a 120-bed nursing home and an outpatient clinic in Clark County through its Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services, or CARES, program. The overall proposal is still being reviewed by an independent commission since some areas will need to lose their veterans health care facilities.

Berkley wanted to make sure the agency was not going to try its "cockamamie idea" of just using more beds at the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital at Nellis Air Force Base and outpatient clinics at 10 different locations to try to fix problems in veterans health care in Nevada.

"My veterans tell me they feel like second-class citizens," Berkley said. "It's unacceptable."

An earlier report by the department proposed 84 beds in Southern Nevada for veterans, including 14 beds for psychiatric patients. Currently 52 beds at the federal hospital are available for veterans.

Roswell said even if all the additions were made at the Nellis hospital it would not satisfy the needs. He said the department is still working with the Air Force to allow for joint operations, however.