Nevada senators seek new Reno VA Medical Center

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - This week, both of Nevada’s U.S. senators sent a letter to President Joe Biden, asking for a new Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in Northern Nevada.

Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto sent a joint letter to President Biden. In the letter, the senators request his support in allocating funds for a new VA hospital in his 2024 fiscal year budget. With $200 million already set aside for renovations and upgrades to the current facility, the senators ask Biden to redirect the funds. Instead of upgrades,discussions with VA officials suggest money would be better spent on constructing an entirely new facility.

“We want to get people the best care in the quickest way that we can; it’d be faster to build, and actually cheaper to build, because sometimes ripping out old technology and replacing it with new it ends up being more expensive than starting from scratch,” said Rosen.

The new hospital would be built in a different location, in part due to concerns of seismic activity at the medical center’s current location.

Plans for the new facility include state-of-the-art technology and more resources like Women’s Health Support.

“I know the worry and the sacrifice that the entire family makes, and so the veterans getting the care that they need going forward- nothing can be more important- than investing in our veterans,” said Rosen.

The senators’ request comes just ahead of the president’s annual budget submittal to Congress for the upcoming fiscal year.

Rosen says advocating for a new facility comes down to one simple thing: getting Northern Nevada veterans, and their families, the care they deserve.

To read the full letter, click here.

Copyright 2023 KOLO. All rights reserved.