VA chief touts plans for LV vets hospital

Stephen Curran

Monday, June 28, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

Saying Las Vegas represented a key example of a shift in the nation's veteran population, the head of the VA on Sunday touted plans for a $350 million hospital in Clark County.

And, while a location has not yet been selected for the 90-bed hospital, the groundbreaking could come by 2005, said Anthony Principi, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Principi said the agency is weighing four possible sites for the new complex and is expected to choose one in the next few weeks.

Principi was in Las Vegas on Sunday to address the Armed Forces Bowling Conference at the Las Vegas Hilton. The convention was held in conjunction with the annual Bowling Proprietors Association of America "Bowl Expo."

He also received an award -- a red, white and blue bowling ball -- from Bowlers to Veterans Link, a nonprofit organization that last year donated about $880,000 to veterans causes.

When asked if he was a bowler, Principi jokingly said his VA position didn't give him much time for the sport but that he had enjoyed it as a child.

The new Las Vegas hospital is one of several planned projects included in a $1 billion spending package aimed at renovating and modernizing the federal agency's aging system, Principi said.

Among the changes is a geographic shift in VA resources to address the growth in the Southwest, particularly in Southern Nevada, he said.

"They (veterans) are not static," Principi said. "They move from north to south and east to west."

Other changes include a new focus on smaller, outpatient clinics to reduce the distance many veterans have to travel to receive care at large regional centers, he said.

Since 1995, the VA has added 856 new outpatient facilities, Principi said.

"Health care is no longer defined by bricks and mortar," he said.

While he acknowledged the new facilities would be expensive, he said the VA will look to save money by selling unnecessary units and consolidating redundant locations.

A recent report from the General Accounting Office estimated that the VA spends about $1 million a day heating vacant buildings, Principi said.