|
Health Subcommittee Backs Bills to Strengthen VA Health Infrastructure &Nation's Defenses Against Bio-Terrorism
(Washington, DC) -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health this
week approved three bills to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs'
(VA's) health infrastructure (H.R. 4514), increase the VA's role in homeland
security related to bio-terrorism (H.R. 3253), and name a VA medical center
after former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas.
H.R. 4514, the Veterans' Major Medical Facilities Construction Act of 2002,
sponsored by Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (KS-1) will authorize $285
million for ten major medical facility construction projects. Six of the
projects are designed to mitigate against potential seismic problems at VA
facilities located in Palo Alto, San Francisco, West Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego, California. Other projects authorized by H.R. 4514
are for VA facilities located in Cleveland, Ohio, Anchorage, Alaska, West
Haven, Connecticut, and Tampa, Florida.
The Subcommittee also adopted an amendment to authorize a $2.6 million lease
for an outpatient clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Over the past several years, the VA has requested very little funding for
major medical construction, having delayed many projects while the so-called
'CARES' process goes forward," said Chairman Moran. "However, if we are to
continue to maintain an infrastructure from which the VA can adequately provide health care to our nation's veterans, it is essential that we
protect, preserve, repair and rehabilitate their medical facilities," he
said.
"H.R. 4514 authorizes those projects identified by VA as its highest construction priorities; many involve seismic correction or protection, and
all are concerned with patient safety," said Moran. "Each of these projects
has been carefully scrutinized for cost, and the budget resolution adopted
by the House in March supports this level of spending," he said.
In response to the new terrorist threat facing the United States, the Subcommittee also approved legislation to expand the VA's role in preventing
and responding to biological, chemical and radiological terrorism threats.
H.R. 3253, the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Preparedness Research, Education and Bio-Terrorism Prevention Act of 2002, is sponsored
by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4), Chairman of the full Veterans' Affairs Committee.
"In the war on terrorism, it is absolutely essential that America maximize
all of its existing resources, and that includes the VA's health care system," said Chairman Smith. "From providing top quality medical care, to
now performing cutting edge medical research, the VA has become a unique
national resource which must play an expanded role in homeland security," he
said.
H.R. 3253 would authorize $100 million over five years to establish at least
four National Medical Emergency Preparedness Centers at VA medical centers
to conduct bio-medical research on, and develop health care responses for
chemical, biological and radiological threats to the public health and safety. The centers would also provide education, training and advice to VA
and community healthcare professionals, as well as provide rapid response
laboratory assistance to local health care and law enforcement authorities
in the event of a national emergency.
"There is ample precedent and experience within the VA for undertaking this
expanded mission. Through their extensive medical research programs, the VA
has documented expertise in diagnosing and treating viral diseases with devastating health consequences, such as their groundbreaking work on HIV
and hepatitis C," said Smith. "And just last month, Dr. Karl Hostetler and
his VA colleagues in San Diego developed a new oral treatment for smallpox,
one of the most deadly bio-terror threats confronting the world today," he
said.
The VA has the world's largest integrated health care network with over 200,000 health care professionals, 163 medical centers, 115 medical research
programs, affiliations with over 100 schools of medicine, and a $25 billion
annual budget. Dedicated to providing health care to America's military
veterans, the VA is now the federal government's leading provider of direct
medical services, with over 4.5 million patients treated last year.
"The VA already operates two War-Related Illness Centers tasked with developing specialized treatments for illnesses and injuries related to
combat, one in Washington, DC and the other in East Orange, NJ," said Smith.
"In essence, these new National Medical Preparedness Centers would similarly
study illnesses and injuries most likely to come from a terrorist attack,
and develop new treatments and protocols to mitigate their dangers," he said.
"It is both necessary and appropriate for the VA to play a larger role in
homeland security and the legislation I have proposed is one way to take
advantage of the VA's expertise without reducing its primary commitment of
providing health care to our nation's veterans," said Smith.
"Importantly my legislation calls for funding of these new centers to come from
additional monies provided to combat terrorism, and not from the already
hard-pressed VA health care system," he said.
The Subcommittee amended H.R. 3253 to include provisions from H.R. 3254,
sponsored by Rep. Steve Buyer (IN-5), which would require the VA and Department of Defense to jointly develop training programs for health care
professionals to detect and respond to chemical and biological terrorism.
In addition, H.R. 3253 was amended to authorize a new assistant secretary in
the Department of Veterans Affairs. This assistant secretary would coordinate Department-wide operations, preparedness, security and law
enforcement functions.
The Subcommittee also approved another bill sponsored by Chairman Moran,
H.R. 4608, which would name the VA Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, the
Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.' Former Senator Dole, who was wounded in combat during World War II, has been a
tireless advocate for veterans his entire adult life.
All three bills were reported favorably to the full Committee, which is expected to take further action on them at next week's scheduled Committee
markup session on Thursday, May 9, 2002.
______________________________________________________________________
Please visit http://veterans.house.gov, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs web site, named 'One of the Best Web Sites in Congress' by the Congressional Management Foundation, May 3, 1999. |
