Hello Everyone! Thanks to all who joined us at Heine Brothers last night for our first Grow Smart Louisville community meeting. We heard some great suggestions and much positive feedback from those in attendance. We started with a brief overview by Eric Gunderson, president of GSLs board. He discussed how we got started and what we have done over the past two years regarding the proposed VA hospital. We talked about why we believe this location is bad for the Veterans of our community and bad for the community in general. The main point he stressed is that this is NOT A DONE DEAL. The floor was opened for questions and suggestions. Attendees wanted to know: When the hospital is supposed to open? The latest estimate is sometime in 2023, which is several years later than the initial estimate. How much it is going to cost the taxpayers? The latest estimate is nearing $900,000,000, which is tens of millions of dollars over the initial estimate. However, the past several new VAMC constructions have gone around 30% over budget, which would put this project way over $1 billion dollars. Why cant the VA use the current property? The answers we have heard, among many, are that it is too old; the ceilings are too low for modern equipment; there is a parking problem; there is an Agent Orange problem; it would take too long to remodel...One of the attendees is an architect who suggests that a new hospital and parking garage CAN be built on the current site at Zorn, and he is working up a draft to prove it. Why havent any elected officials spoken out against the project and its cost and/or location? The simple answer is that no one wants to appear to be anti-veteran. All of the politicians, from local to national, respond with, Its a federal issue. They fail to recognize that all of the extra problems that will arise with building on this location make this a local issue. From widening the roads and rebuilding infrastructure to accommodate a hospital of this size to losing out on tax revenue make this an issue that affects the entire community. Is it more cost-effective to build a new hospital or to give Veterans the ability to receive healthcare wherever they choose? We believe that the brick and mortar health care structure is out-dated and needs to change. Buildings have a certain life-span and have to constantly change and update in order to maintain current healthcare standards, not to mention the staffing and maintenance of a new hospital. To build a new hospital for $1 billion dollars and then have it become obsolete in 30-40 years seems a waste of taxpayer dollars and resources. With 500 beds open in Louisville hospitals today, we currently have the capacity to treat 4-5 times the number of patients than a new hospital could treat. Veterans are routinely referred to local hospitals for specialty care that they cannot get at the VA. We think that if a new hospital is to be built, it should stay at the current site at Zorn, however, long-term, we believe that the VA needs to shift its treatment paradigm to give Veterans a choice in who they see and which hospitals they use, similar to the active duty service members who use Tri-Care for their healthcare. What will happen to the Community Based Outpatient Clinics once the hospital is opened? Most of the CBOCs are scheduled to close once the hospital is opened, and the Veterans will be directed to come to the hospital for all of their medical needs. This will put an added burden on those Veterans who live in the South or West End and who currently rely on the local CBOC for his/her medical care. What would happen to the land already purchased at the Brownsboro Road site? We have proposed using this land to create an annex to Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. Currently, Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is closed to new burials. Louisville Veterans must travel 60-70 miles away from the city if they want to be buried in a national cemetery. The Brownsboro site is less than 1/4 mile from ZTNC, which would allow for one office to oversee the burials and maintenance of both cemeteries. The estimate is that nearly 30,000 Louisville area Veterans could use this site as their final resting place. It was noted that many people think the hospital is a done deal, and that we need to let people know that there are still alternatives to building it on the Brownsboro site. Recommendations were made to: Contact your elected officials and let them know that we support a downtown hospital or rebuilding at the Zorn Avenue site. Each official has his/her own webpage with a contact link on the site. Simply click on that link and fill in the information and add your comments. Here is a list of websites for some officials to contact: Senator Mitch McConnell mcconnell.senate.gov/public/ Senator Rand Paul Rand Paul | United States Senator Congressman John Yarmuth yarmuth.house.gov/ Governor Steve Beshear governor.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx Senator Julie Denton lrc.ky.gov/legislator/s036.htm Senator Julie Raque Adams lrc.ky.gov/legislator/h032.htm Representative Bob Deweese lrc.ky.gov/legislator/h048.htm Mayor Greg Fisher lrc.ky.gov/legislator/h032.htm Council President Jim King louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/10/ Councilman Ken Fleming (retiring 14) lrc.ky.gov/legislator/h032.htm Councilman Kelly Downard louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/16/ In addition, we recommended contacting the following Congressional officials currently serving on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in Washington D.C.: Representative Mike Coffmann Representative Mike Coffman | Representing the 6th District of COLORADO Representative Jeff Miller jeffmiller.house.gov/ Any of the Representatives on the Oversight Committee veterans.house.gov/subcommittee-oversight-investigations Senator Bernie Sanders sanders.senate.gov/ Any member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs veterans.senate.gov/ We would encourage you to specifically peruse the website of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs veterans.house.gov/ and the links to the VA Honesty Project, the VA Accountability Watch, and the Trials in Transparency. Suggestions were made to: Create a video to be posted on YouTube regarding the issues surrounding the proposed hospital. Print bumper stickers saying this is not a done deal. Publish a monthly newsletter discussing current issues. Print yard signs for the area. Meet with Veteran groups to discuss the issues with this site, the closing of the neighborhood clinics, etc. Each person contact five friends and neighbors to discuss the issues with this project and to build a grassroots support system for a downtown/Zorn Avenue hospital and a Zachary Taylor Cemetery annex. If you would like to donate to Grow Smart Louisville to help us continue our mission to educate the public, please visit our website: growsmartlouisville.org where you can make a secure on-line donation. You can also add your name to our list of supporters and make a comment regarding the proposed hospital. Thank you again for all of your support and suggestions! We look forward to meeting with you again soon. Please spread the word about our group. Make calls. Send emails. Let your voice be heard! As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Regards, The Grow Smart Louisville Team
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 21:45:51 +0000
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