Kendra S. Horn: “I rise to day in strong support of H.R. 3603, the VA Major Medical Facility Projects Authorization bill. This bill…”

“I rise to day in strong support of H.R. 3603, the VA Major Medical Facility Projects Authorization bill. This bill authorizes $205 million for major medical facility projects across the country, $140 million more than the President requested in his budget. Along with the other worthy projects in this bill, $23 million is dedicated to the consolidation of clinical and administrative services into a seismically upgraded building at the Long Beach VA Medical Center. Providing a broad range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services for veterans throughout Southern California, the Long Beach VA has been recognized for the integral role it plays in Southern California's health care system. The Long Beach Center has also achieved national prominence in the field of spinal cord injury and the rehabilitation of paraplegic and quadriplegic patients. Given the seismically unstable location of the Medical Center, it is critical that all acute patient care facilities are located in seismically safe buildings. This legislation ensures that. Not only does this project project the health and safety of the Long Beach VA employees and its patients, it also makes efficient use of scarce government funds. This project will avoid a cost of $34 million for additional seismic corrections and save $5.6 million in annual recurring operating expenses. Now that is a project worth investing in.…”