New Orleans VA Hospital Construction Moves Forward

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans VA Hospital is behind on construction, but Fernando Rivera Jr., executive director of Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, is not letting the delays discourage him, according to The Times-Picayune. The hospital, which will serve approximately 70,000 veterans in southeastern Louisiana, has pushed the completion of the $1 billion complex to the end of 2017.

Although the timeline has been pushed back, Rivera Jr. hopes that the hospital will see its first patient by the end of 2016, but he is not going to let impatience on the project impact the quality of construction on the hospital. “We will not compromise on the safety of our patients for the sake of a timeline,” Rivera said to The Times-Picayune.

Occupying 31 acres in Mid-City, the hospital will be the first health care center in New Orleans dedicated to veterans in more than a decade. Since flooding from Hurricane Katrina shut down the previous VA Hospital in New Orleans, veterans who have needed inpatient care due to surgery or major medical issues, have had to travel to Birmingham, Ala., or further to receive care.

Construction on the hospital began in 2010 and had an expected opening date in 2014, but due to many setbacks, the timeline was pushed back. Troubles in the federal Veterans Affairs Department as well as falling victim to New Orleans’ ancient infrastructure and unforeseen circumstances such as weather caused the timeline to lengthen, according to The Times-Picayune. Due to the problems that continued to pile up, the budget for the project increased by 66 percent, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office in 2013. The construction continued to move forward slowly, as the problems were handled.

Even with the complications during construction, Rivera told The Times-Picayune that the hardest part was staffing the hospital that is still in its construction phase. The facility will provide jobs for 2,800 people, which includes more than 220 physicians. If all goes according to Rivera’s plan, the New Orleans VA Hospital will also become a teaching hospital and will provide 172 jobs for medical students and residents.