Study calls for closing Hampton VA Medical Center
A Department of Veterans Affairs study is calling for the Hampton VA Medical Center to close — to be replaced by new centers in Norfolk and Newport News, supplemented by more work at the Naval hospital in Portsmouth.
“The Hampton VAMC’s aging infrastructure does not meet current design standards and has major architecture and engineering challenges that make it impractical and inefficient to continue investing in the facility to provide patient care,” the VA’s Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission said.
In addition, the commission said, “The existing Hampton VAMC faces many challenges, such as frequent flooding and severe access challenges for a large portion of the Veterans it serves due to heavy traffic in the bridge and tunnel infrastructure.”
It proposes building a new VA medical center in South Hampton Roads, which would take over inpatient mental health services as well as outpatient services, a community living center and residential rehabilitation services for veterans in South Hampton Roads.
A new Newport News medical center would take over outpatient services, a community living center and residential rehabilitation services for the Peninsula. Current research programs at Hampton would move to the Newport News facility.
Hampton’s inpatient medical and surgical care and emergency department should move to Naval Hospital Portsmouth, the commission said.
Inpatient blind rehabilitation demand will be met through VA facilities in West Haven, Connecticut, Cleveland and new medical center proposed for King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
The commission said VA spinal cord injury and disorders care would remain in at its Richmond medical center.
The commission said the Hampton VAMC’s facility condition assessment found deficiencies that would cost about $173 million to address. The center was built in 1940, and doesn’t meet current standards for floor-to-floor heights, corridor widths, column spacing, and utility infrastructure.
“VA came to these recommendations by asking ourselves one question above all else: what’s best for the Veterans we serve? Because that is our number one goal, today and every day. That’s what our Asset and Infrastructure Review recommendations are all about,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
But the commission’s findings won’t change anything immediately. The next steps include public hearings of the recommendations before the VA submits it own plan to the president for further review next year.
Dave Ress, 757-247-4535, dress@dailypress.com
