Southern Nevada Veteran Hospital over Budget and Not on Schedule

[Steve Sanson]

RE: Southern Nevada Veteran Hospital over Budget and Not on Schedule

We could always tell when someone like you is misguided, don’t live in Nevada, or maybe not even a military veteran.

We are very familiar with the VA Hospital, so here is the honesty that you are so eager to have. I always tell people to be careful what they ask for.

Southern Nevada has not had a VA Hospital since 2003 the hospital that was built was ruled condemned and closed under Senator Reid’s watch.

In 2004 Senator Reid announced the building of this new VA Hospital it was announced that all funding has been received, it was announced that this hospital will be opened in 2009, it was announced that the land was donated by BLM, it was announced that this VA Hospital is going to cost the tax payers $235 million. I was personally present for this announcement.

In 2006 Senator Reid had a ground breaking ceremony. I was personally present for this event.

In 2007 construction had finally started this was the same year City Center broke ground. Since 2007 there has been several privately funded hospitals built for example; Centennial Hills Hospital, Spring Valley Hospital these hospital started construction after the VA Hospital broke ground, they purchased their land, they have an OBGYN, and the cost for these hospitals are between $70-$100 million. I was interviewed by several television news stations on this issue and wrote several columns.

In 2010 the very same VA Hospital that was announced in 2004 that finally broke ground in 2007 with nothing added to it, is costing tax payers $635 million dollars and a new date to open is 2012.

This new VA Hospital that was supposed to be State-of-the-Art will not have a heart surgeon or a spinal cord injury surgeon. I am one of the Commissioners appointed by our Governor for the Southern Nevada Cemetery Advisory Board and I was present at the Nevada Veterans Commission meeting on a briefing of the VA Hospital.

When asked about this VA Hospital we are told that it’s under budget and right on schedule. It’s over budget by almost three times from the original amount that was announced, its three years behind scheduled, and it’s not the State-of-the-Art hospital that was promised.

Senator Reid could pick up the phone for City Center had an entire city built, but he can’t pick up the phone for veterans and put up a few buildings.

Let me reiterate both City Center and the VA Hospital broke ground the same year.

So when you wonder why Sharron Angle Candidate for US Senate would like to privatize the VA Hospital.

Let’s see; why because the private industry could build hospitals in a year and a half and the VA takes five years, because the private industry build hospitals for $70-$100 million dollars on purchased land with an OBGYN, and the VA spends $635 million on donated land with no heart surgeon and spinal cord injury surgeon.

The Veterans In Politics made a visit to Washington D.C. in hopes of achieving a Veteran Insurance Cards so that a Veteran could go to any hospital, clinic, or doctor of their choice instead of passing by medical professionals in their local area, driving hundreds of miles, being put on a waiting list, or waiting five years for a hospital to be built.

Our politicians said if we have a Veteran Insurance Card it would cost jobs at the VA. I guess jobs are more important than the veteran’s health. If you take the cost it would take to build and staff a VA Hospital and put it into the veteran’s health. We would have a lot more healthy veterans.

With this said US Senator Reid is not the only person at fault so are Congresswoman Shelley Berkley and US Senator John Ensign, but since we are talking about the Majority Leader I hope you like our honesty and if you would like more honesty let us know.

http://www.va.gov/