By Katie Schubert
Omaha, NE – Construction could begin as early as October 2012 on a new VA hospital in Omaha.
Last week, VA of Nebraska-western Iowa officials unveiled a second set of design plans for the new medical center. The new plans lay out where departments will be located inside the medical center. It'll be built at the site of the current hospital, at 41st and Woolworth Streets in midtown Omaha.
Bob Yager, Chief of Engineering for the VA of Nebraska-western Iowa, says the next design phase involves laying out where rooms will be located inside the hospital. He says the design process is 30 to 40 percent complete, and the hospital is on schedule and on budget. The hospital will feature a women's health clinic and a cancer center in addition to its regular services. It'll be twice as large as the current facility.
When construction begins on the $560 million hospital is largely up to Congress. Yager says the construction process could begin next October if funds are made available in fiscal year 2013.