Plumbing

VA Seeks $4.1 Billion for Facility Upkeep, Upgrades

The funds would be used to modernize 10 health facilities that “lack resilience and sustainability”. April 11, 2023

By Dan Hounsell, Editor-in-Chief

When you’re the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States — serving 1,298 facilities statewide, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient facilities — the challenges of keeping facilities’ HVAC, plumbing, and mechanical systems reliable and efficient are immense . This also applies to the invoice for the maintenance and modernization of facilities.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has proposed a budget of $325 billion for fiscal 2024, including $4.1 billion for construction — the largest request ever for that category, according to the department of the military is struggling to sustain aging hospitals, some more than 100 years old .com.

The funds would be used to modernize 10 healthcare facilities that “lack resilience and sustainability,” according to VA budget documents. The request, however, comes as the department continues an ongoing evaluation of all of its properties, many of which are in equally urgent need of repairs or upgrades. The FY2024 budget request is the largest ever for the department, representing a 5% increase from this year’s approved budget request.

The $4.1 billion planning application includes $3.01 billion for 10 medical facilities and two cemeteries projects, and $1.08 billion for 76 new smaller development projects. The 10 VA plants, which would receive large building grants, are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Portland, Oregon; American Lake, Washington; Perry Point, Maryland; El Paso, Texas; West Haven, Connecticut; Dallas; San Francisco; San Diego; and St Louis.

At least one of the facilities, West Haven, has known dangers for years: In the months leading up to a 2020 steam line explosion that killed two workers, employees had complained of unsafe or unsanitary conditions, such as burst pipes and insect infestations.

Dan Hounsell is Senior Editor of Facility Market. He has over 30 years of experience writing about facility maintenance, engineering and management.

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