Degette: Veterans Deserves Better Facility in Denver

DEGETTE: VETERANS DESERVE BETTER FACILITY IN DENVER

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (CO-01) called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to bring the Denver Veterans Army Medical Center up to modern standards in the wake of Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi's announcement that the facility will not move to a new location at Fitzsimmons.

"Our first priority must be to provide Colorado veterans with the medical services and care they need," said Rep. DeGette. "We have recently learned that the VA foolishly neglected to meet proper standards at the current hospital in Denver because of the anticipated move. With Secretary Principi's decision not to relocate the facility to Fitzsimmons, he must act promptly to significantly upgrade the Denver medical center."

The University of Colorado health-science center was slated for completion in 2007 or 2008 with the move of the medical school and the veterans' medical center to the former military base. Secretary Principi recently raised very serious concerns that the Fitzsimmons location was not large enough to meet the needs of the new veterans hospital, putting the relocation in doubt.

"Colorado veterans have had to make do with deteriorating facilities and insufficient medical services for several years as they waited for the promised new center at Fitzsimmons," said Rep. DeGette. "It has always been impossible to justify the neglect of the existing Denver medical center. It is time to finally get a move on correcting this wrong."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/co01_degette/050105.html