In 2009, the Veterans Administration acknowledged the need for a larger VA medical clinic in Savannah. The area’s veteran population had surged as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began to wind down and more discharged military personnel enrolled in VA medical care.
More than five years later, the existing clinic that everyone — including the VA — agreed in 2009 was too small and offered too few services is still struggling to accommodate a growing patient load.
While the 39,000-square-foot clinic gets fairly good reviews from patients able to access service, most agree the need to grow is becoming more urgent.
By 2011, when plans were officially announced for a new 50,500-square-foot clinic, the VA conceded its existing facility off Middleground Road was often overwhelmed by the 8,000 veterans living in the Savannah area.
Today, those plans are still on the drawing board, while Savannah’s veteran population has ballooned to nearly 13,000.
Tonya Lobbestael, public affairs officer for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, Savannah’s home hospital, said the hospital was looking forward to building and opening the new clinic in Savannah.
“Once built, the new clinic will serve an estimated 12,700 veterans and will include such current services as mental health and tele-health, while providing select specialty care closer to home,” Lobbestael said in June.
The new clinic was originally set to begin construction some three years ago when plans were scuttled due to appraisal issues with the selected property.
Early in 2013, the project was back, but with a distinctly different approach. Instead of selecting a property and soliciting bids from contractors, the VA requested developers submit their plans — complete with a site of their choosing, said Brad Seifert, senior director of the Washington, D.C., firm Public Properties, which represents the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in construction, leasing and real estate matters.
Those submittals that matched VA requirements were sent requests for proposals, Seifert said. The winning developer would then buy the property, build the clinic and lease it to the VA.
A contract award was expected early in 2014.
Emails requesting updates were sent to Seifert in February, April and June, each eliciting the same answer:
“We are close to awarding a contract. Check back in a few weeks.”
In response to an email sent Friday, Seifert replied Monday: “Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to pass along at this time. As soon as I can share information on the project I will be happy to do so.”
A systemic problem
Apparently, Savannah has lots of company.
An April audit by the watchdog U.S. Government Accountability office indicates efforts to lease and build new VA clinics across the country are running years behind, with 39 of 41 proposed clinics delayed.
According to the GAO’s findings, the delays ranged fron 6 months to 13.3 years, with an average delay of 3.3 years.
The average delay during the pre-lease agreement stage — in which Savannah remains mired — totaled nearly 3.1 years.
Calls and emails sent Monday to Lobbestael’s office at the Charleston VA Hospital were not returned, and Seifert did not reply to follow-up questions on the cause of the delay and current status of the project.
A SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS VETERANS DAY SALUTE
In honor of Veterans Day, the Savannah Morning News spoke to veterans of every major U.S.-involved conflict from World War II to the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On
savannahnow.com, view photos of a few of the nearly 50,000 U.S. military veterans living in the greater Savannah area, read what being a veteran means to them and watch of video of them discussing their service.