Hundreds of job openings need to be filled before the new, overbudget and long-delayed Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora, Colo., can open this summer, according to an article on the Stars & Stripes website.
Even after the hospital opens, the old hospital and other off-site facilities will remain in use for at least three years because of design flaws at the new campus, according to a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs document obtained by Stars and Stripes.
Large-scale design problems mean the campus at 1.21 million square feet isn’t creating more useable clinical space when compared to the old, 600,000 square-foot Denver hospital.
Maintaining services at the old VA will increase costs because of duplicate staffs for food, security and administration. The VA also has a list of 375 tasks to complete before the new VA opens, including installing fixtures and HVAC systems and configuring medical equipment. Workers must also fix mistakes with the facility, such as replacing walls in dental exam rooms that aren’t strong enough to support wall-mounted X-rays.
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