BERKLEY NOTIFIED FINAL CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS TO BE SIGNED FOR VALLEY’S FIRST FULL-SERVICE VA MEDICAL COMPLEX

Hospital, Outpatient Clinic, Long Term Care Facility Will Serve 200,000 Plus So. Nevada Veterans

(April 1, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today announced that the final contracts for southern Nevada’s first full-service VA medical center will be signed in the coming weeks and construction on the hospital, outpatient clinic and long term care facility is scheduled to be completed in 2010. Berkley has been meeting regularly with VA officials and the project’s architects to ensure all resources are in place for completion of the medical complex, which is now set to open its doors in early 2011.

“As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, this project remains my number one priority and I was pleased to learn today that the VA will soon be signing the final contracts for construction of our new state-of-the-art medical complex,” said Berkley. “Work will be completed on the trio of facilities in the next two years and patients should start receiving treatment in 2011. America’s continued deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with an already aging veterans’ population, have increased the need for this VA medical complex and the demand for these services in the Valley only continues to grow. Last year I was able to finally secure the full $600 million needed to complete the outpatient clinic, hospital and long term care facility and this announcement is a further sign of real progress toward making this medical complex a reality.”

The announcement about the final contracts was made in a letter sent Monday to Berkley by VA Secretary Dr. James Peake. A copy of the document is available upon request.

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