Perlmutter, Udall & Bennet Applaud VA Hospital Contract Agreement

Press Release

Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet commended the Department of Veterans Affairs and joint venture contractor Kiewit Turner on reaching a deal on the contract for the new VA Medical Center at Fitzsimons in Aurora, Colorado. After over two years of delays since the official groundbreaking ceremony with Secretary Shinseki, dirt will finally be turned on this new state-of-the-art medical center to replace the existing Denver Medical Center. The new 182 bed VA Medical Center will have a dedicated spinal cord injury unit, nursing home and comprehensive in and out-patient services. The Department of Veterans Affairs anticipates all documentation and internal reviews to be completed and the final contract awarded within two weeks.

"I am finally incredibly pleased with this important step. This hospital is my number one priority and I will continue to monitor the progress to ensure this project stays on track. Veterans from the entire Rocky Mountain region have waited long enough. It's time to turn dirt. I look forward to the day when our brave men and women will receive the care they deserve at a new world class medical center," stated Rep. Ed Perlmutter.

"I want to thank the VA for responding to the concerns of Colorado's veterans who have waited so long for construction to begin on the state-of-the-art VA Medical Center," Udall said. "Today's news is great progress, and I'm extremely optimistic that after two years, we finally have an agreement. Now it's time for the VA and Kiewit/Turner to sign the contract and start digging. When the men and women of our armed forces donned their uniforms to defend us, we made a covenant to take care of them when they came home. That is a sacred promise I aim to keep."

"I'll feel even better when the shovels hit the ground, but this is tremendous news for Colorado's veterans who have been waiting far too long for a state-of-the-art Veterans Hospital to call their own," Senator Bennet said. "Our troops make up 1 percent of the nation's population, but they shoulder 100 percent of the responsibility of fighting for our freedom. This hospital is one way we can help keep the promises we've made to support them as they return home."

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