Stand-alone VA hospital? Site impasse stalls project - Denver Business Journal:

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But Jacque Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the Universityy ofColorado Denver, said the is continuing talks with the VA for use of the second tower, despit e opposition from veterans groups, U.S. Sen. Ken D-Colo., and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, The VA is exploring a leasing arrangement with the neighborinb University of Colorado Hospitak that would allowthe VA’s hospital to use medical technology and floor space at the university’z yet-to-be-built second tower at the Anschutz Medical Campus in while maintaining other services elsewhere near the In June, the VA unveiled a $548 million plan that wouled have reduced the number of beds in the originapl project from 160 to 116 and cut the floof space by about 11,000 square feet.
The VA announced it has set asidw $148 million for the long-delayed project. Veterans groups, Salazat and Perlmutter want the VA to builxa single, standalone hospital just outside the perimeteras of the Anschutz Medical Campus — a proposal that’sz estimated to cost $1.1 billion, nearly twice as much as the less-expensivee option the VA is considering. In early Salazar and Perlmutter sent a lettereto Dr. Jim Peake, the VA’s asking the agency to make a standalone hospitapla “major construction” Directors of five veterans groupas sent a letter to Peaker last month that disagreed with the VA’s stance.
“At a time when no cost seems too great to bear on the deployed battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to support our we question the determination of the VA aboutg whatis ‘not the letter stated. Montgomery said the hospital plans to build the tower regardlesss of whether the VA shares the site. She said the VA’s participation won’t change the time frames for the completion of theseconx tower, but also that it’sx too early to say when that towert might be built or how big it will be.
Peakew suggested the original plan for a standalone hospital was too costly and inefficientt in an opinion piece submitted to Denver medialast “It wasn’t only the cost of the facility that trulg concerned me; it was that building a hospitalk of such size would still not properly serve the majoritgy of veterans in this area,” Peakes wrote, noting that building a giant new inpatientt hospital runs contrary to medica trends.
Based on recent acquisitions, VA appears to be committed to building some kind of medical centerd forveterans — but it may be a question of when and how The agency recently paid $37 millioj to acquire an existing medical buildinb near the Anschutz Medical Campus to use for administrativse purposes. More than a year ago, the VA spent $14.5 milliom to buy 23 acres of adjacenr land fromthe . Jill executive director of the authority, said it’w unclear how the VA plans to use the but the agency is leaningtoward co-locating the site with in-patieng services offered in the second tower and outpatient serviced that would be offered in a freestanding VA The hospital’s fate probabluy will be decided by the next presidentiapl administration.
Appointed in October 2007, Peakde was the third VA secretary appointee by the Bush and political observers say helikelg won’t be reappointed by Bush’s In the meantime, veteranw seeking medical attention will go to the near the old University near Ninth Street and Colorado Boulevard in