LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This Veterans Day, Louisville gave local veterans a long-awaited gift: official progress on the new VA Medical Center.
What You Need To Know
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on the new 910,115 sq. ft. VA Medical Center on Thursday
- The new facility will be located on Brownsboro Road in Louisville
- The project is expected to be completed in 2025
- The hospital will also include a women’s health clinic
“In the middle of my first campaign for congress in 2006, that's when the VA announced Louisville was going to get a new hospital," said U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY). "So here we are 15 years later, finally breaking ground on that new hospital."
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on the new VA Medical Center. The new facility will be located on Brownsboro Road, replacing the existing 69-year-old Robley Rex VA Medical Center. The VA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Louisville District will partner to build the hospital.
The 910,115 square foot VA Medical Center will include 104 beds, several parking structures, a 42,205 square foot central utility plant, roadways and sidewalks. The full-service hospital will be located on 34 acres of land at 4906 Brownsboro Road.
The hospital will also incorporate modern patient-centered care concepts, hoping to provide the best possible care for veterans.
“I believe access to high quality health care is a basic human right, but we are talking about our veterans, and that makes it a sacred duty," said Gov. Andy Beshear. "To not only provide every part of care that's needed but to do it in the most modern high tech facility where we can give them the very best and get the very best results."
The project has been a controversial debate for a few years, with the biggest concern being the location. The city of Crossgate even sued to halt the construction due to the potential impact on traffic, but the lawsuit was later dismissed.
For Stephen Montgomery, who served in both the Navy and Army branch, he can’t imagine life without the help from the VA.
“I had a hard time assimilating back into society after 27 years in the service and the VA, they're the reason why I’m here today because of the service they provided,” Montgomery said.
The hospital will also include a women's health clinic, an addition navy veteran Arlena Johnson is excited to finally see the needs of women veterans being addressed.
“There's a lot of homeless veterans as well because I'm advocating for that so for us to get that treatment and get taken care of it means a lot. So it's progress and a big step forward for taking care of us,” Johnson said.
The project is expected to be completed in 2025.