Sen. Harry Reid delivered remarks for the dedication of the Veterans Affairs medical center. (Armando Navarro/FOX5)
(Les Krifaton/FOX5)NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV (FOX5) -
For local veterans the long wait for a Veterans Affairs medical center is almost over. On Monday a dedication ceremony will be held at the campus of the new facility in North Las Vegas.
Officially the campus can begin to provide limited services on Aug. 14.
"Initially, we are going to open the first floor. We'll have the infusion clinic open, infectious disease open, the lab open and the pharmacy open," said John Bright, director of the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System.
The 1 million square-foot, six-story facility cost $600 million to build and will include 90 patient beds along with a community service center which has another 120 beds. Other services that will roll out the rest of the year include specialty care, mental health, geriatrics, extended care and rehab.
There are some 240,000 veterans who live in southern Nevada. For them the new hospital center means they won't have to drive all over the valley or elsewhere to get the services they need.
"We send in excess of 2,000 veterans a year to southern California for care. We will no longer have to do that," Bright said.
Monday's dedication ceremony was attended by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. Congressman Joe Heck is on active duty, according to Bright, and was not be able to attend.
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