New Orleans VA Redo

New Orleans VA Mega Hospital To Give Tours To Help Veterans Feel ‘Safe’

New Orleans VA Redo

The billion-dollar mega New Orleans VA Medical Center is soon to reopen and offer tours after one decade of being closed following Hurricane Katrina.

Medical Center Director Fernando Rivera explained the reason for the open houses, “The purpose of these open houses is to familiarize our veterans with their new medical center ahead of their first appointments.” Dr. Rivera continued, “We want our veterans to feel safe and comfortable with their new surroundings…”

The facility is 1.6 million-square-feet. Gulf Coast region veterans forecasted to use the facility are estimated at 70,000. It was renamed Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) following a reorganization and will be located in Mid-City a few blocks from the original location in New Orleans.

About New Orleans VA Project

VA provided the following frequently asked questions about the project, and I thought I’d repost it here for those of you wondering about the billion dollar hospital project:

“Q1: What is Project Legacy?
A1: Project Legacy is the name for the project to design and build a new medical center to replace the one damaged from flooding following Hurricane Katrina. Project Legacy is also the name of the service within SLVHCS in charge of the project.

“Q2: Why couldn’t we just fix the old hospital?
A2: The building took on water during the flooding subsequent to Hurricane Katrina. Critical internal and maintenance facilities and utility infrastructure were severely damaged. Although structurally sound, the building – built in the 1950s – is no longer suited to offering Veterans the world-class health care they deserve. By starting new, we are able to incorporate the lessons learned during Katrina, build a facility designed for modern health care that meets federal physical security requirements and plan for the future of Veterans’ care in southeast Louisiana.

“Q3: Where are we building our new medical center?
A3: The state of Louisiana, working on behalf of the city of New Orleans, acquired an approximately 30-acre footprint in the area of New Orleans commonly known as Mid-City, which was then turned over to VA for our new medical center. Our facility will be bounded by Canal Street, S. Rocheblave Street, S. Galvez Street and Tulane Avenue. The site is mere blocks from the old VAMC New Orleans.

“Q4: I keep hearing about the LSU hospital in Mid-City. Is this our hospital?
A4: No. The state of Louisiana is building a teaching hospital to replace the old Charity Hospital facility next to our medical center in Mid-City. Their footprint is bounded by Canal Street and Tulane Avenue like ours, but extends from S. Galvez Street to S. Claiborne.

“Q5: Will the new medical center replace the clinics that have been in place since Hurricane Katrina?
A5: Most community-based outpatient clinics will not be replaced/closed when the new medical center opens. Existing CBOCs located outside of New Orleans metro area will continue to operate. Facilities located within the metro New Orleans area, such as the eye clinic, APU and dental clinics, will close once the medical center reopens and those functions are relocated to the new campus.

“Q6: When will the new medical center be open/I start working at the new location?
A6: The new medical center has a phased activation plan. We expect to have 2400 Canal Street – the old Pan-American Life Insurance Building – renovated and activated in 2014 to house administrative functions prior to the medical center’s full activation. This building will serve as the recruitment and workforce development center. We anticipate activating the rest of the medical center in late 2016.

“Q7: How are we keeping people in the neighborhood informed about the construction process?
A7: We conduct quarterly neighborhood meetings to keep the individuals in the neighborhood and other interested parties apprised of progress on the site. We answer questions, offer information and have a growing email contact list for stakeholder updates. We are updating our Project Legacy website and often post updates on Facebook and Twitter.

“Q8: People are asking me about hiring. What should I tell them?
A8: Individuals looking for construction work or business opportunities can be directed to our Project Legacy website:https://www.neworleans.va.gov/Project_Legacy.asp, which includes points of contact for construction questions, job inquiries and other such important information. You may also direct individuals to the Clark McCarthy Healthcare Partners, the contractor for this project, website:*https://www.vahospitalreplacement.com/.

“Those looking to work for VA should be encouraged to visit USA Jobs for information on current openings with the federal government. We will be hiring over 1,100 by the time the new medical center opens in 2016. Additional employment information will be shared in a timely manner.

“Q9: I have additional questions or concerns about Project Legacy. Who should I talk to?
A9: Those with general questions about the project may call the Project Legacy office at 504-558-1433. For a construction-related question or concern, you can call the community outreach hotline at 504-335-2435.”

If you are reading this and planning to use the new facility, definetly check in here to let us know what you experience during the tours.

Source: https://www.neworleans.va.gov/project_legacy.asp

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35 Comments

  1. RISE and Shine Veterans call your Senators and Representatives hired at least one at anyone Veteran Medical Center a Cosmetic Dentistry Dentist knows how to put G4 implants or tel me what you believe that Veteran Medical Centers needs what kind of a Practice that they have .

  2. Agree with you guys, New Building same old Management, Big deal now they have their ivory tower !
    1,100 employees, Better look close, Family and Friends hired ! If you don’t fumigate, the roaches will take over and they carry deadly diseases.

    Who cares, Wonder if they put jail cells in the new facility. Their not for employees, its for Veterans they deem Disruptive or speak out about their treatment. They should put a warning sign to veterans speak out about your care and you will be reported as a possible danger to the VA and we will place into your official records that you are a danger to our staff and you will be blackballed and we will make you life a living hell.

    This building is for employees only ! Bet the veterans got a kick out of the morgue, bet its big.

  3. It’s been”discovered” alright but the cover up with unlimited tax payer money is why the public doesn’t know. How can the govt spend so much money on a new building where the same old rotten medical care is not changed? Well, my old non profit kaiser ( in the many billions) got to do the same with many new buildings but the way of doing medicine did not change. When you put in the same policies in place and the same people to administer those same policies, it’s just veterans getting the same ugly treatment in nicer surroundings. There are patients and employees in kaiser who found out the hard way. Like the dead employee with the broken neck and plastic bag over his head. We believe it was kaiser’s own security that did this. The only ones with the expertise to carry it out. The only ones with that kind of expertise! and vets get trained soldiers to the dirty work of the VA. It’s no wonder most people don’t trust our “govt” anymore!

  4. Nice place. Personally, I’m afraid to go to the VA. now you saying that they got all these gadgets before you get in the door . Well , I live in the south but I don’t have to go to Louisiana . I’m scared of this whole place I got in Alabama . I really find it a shame that a person can kill somebody and still have a job . I will be in Louisiana for the game Saturday , maybe I’ll take a peek at it .

    1. Be warned: The VA spared no expense on the pee and poo grounds detectors. Do not even think about it. 🙂

    2. What should scare any veteran is not only did he kill a veteran on the job, get a week off to recover AND keep his job, but several VA employees conspired to cover it up.
      Nobody can tell me there were not witnesses to this. Nobody can tell me this was not reported internally.

      All of them, including the AFGE decided it was to their benefit to ignore the killing of this veteran, cover up or ignore his actions, and help him keep his job.

      I shudder when I think of the number of times this has happened in the past, and nobody discovered it.

  5. H0W MANY VETERANS GOING TO SUPPORT ME TO HIRED A COSMETIC DENTISTRY DENTIST THAT KNOWS HOW TO PUT G4 IMPLANTS BECAUSE THEIR IS NOT ONE VETERAN MEDICAL CENTER HAS A COSMETIC DENTISTRY DENTIST THAT KNOWS HOW TO PUT IN G4 IMPLANTS I F YOU DO MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS [email protected] Semper Fi.

  6. Tours for veterans to feel safe? WTF, can he be any more condescending? What? Are vets being shot at in the hallways? Local union officials planting IEDs for wheel chairs?

    What assurances do vets have that any care provided will be safe by touring a building?

    I would be very curious to see how their admin building is different from the treatment facilities. Many VA admin facilities are quite palatial compared to where veterans are treated.

    1. Hey 91 Veteran,

      You said “I would be very curious to see how their admin building is different from the treatment facilities.”

      At the public entrances multiple armed guards metal detectors and security corridor check point before you get in.

      1. That wouldn’t surprise me at all, with multiple cypherlocks and iris scanners at strategic points to keep the unwashed masses away from the pampered.

      2. Oh 91Veteran,

        I did forget to add the armed security escort for veterans or “tour guide”.

  7. Larger question:

    From the VA’s perspective, just WHAT does the VA view as Veteran’s having something to be afraid of? Notice the VA does not qualify WHAT Vets may be afraid of?

  8. My hemoroids are flaring up something aweful, but godamnit I am just not comfortable in new surroundings. Anyone got an ice pack?

    1. Hate to have to inform you Dennis but the pain isn’t hemorrhoids. The pain you are experiencing is caused by the pharmacist, nurse or PA that has been assigned as your primary care pretend doctor at the VA not using lube.

      But it is ok and you can feel safe since Vets are being given tours of the new death center or as they like to call it problem dispatch center.

      1. Speaking of VA problem dispatch centers. Has anyone heard the latest body count for the new Direct Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C?

  9. Seymore, namnibor and others.
    Here’s the latest from “The Sean Hannity Show” last night.
    “Hannity 10/31/16 – Trump Campaign Manager, Newt Gingrich On Clinton & Kaine Question”
    (It’s about 40 minutes long)

    According to Newt, quote: “There are five different [FBI] field offices investigating the Clinton Foundation!”
    With the revelation of the 650,000 newly discovered emails on Huma and Anthony Weiner’s mobile device, it’s more likely than not, Huma had better “make a deal with the FBI!”
    Remember, when Nixon was elected, he “…held 49 states…”, yet, only served “…one and a half years…” of that term.
    His impeachment proceedings were an embarrassment to our country. As was the impeachment proceedings of Bill (cigar stroker) Clinton!
    The foundation is an embarrassment to every American Citizen!

    1. From: “Fox News”, Nov. 1, 2016
      “Ed Klein: Why Comey jumped at the chance to reopen Clinton case!”

      Seems Comey, according to insiders, “…was threatening to resign…”, if he didn’t correct the bad decision to indict Hillary Clinton. If Comey resigned, the Justice Department would be thrown into a chaos. Comey has multiple resignations on his desk. So far he’s refused to sign them.
      Like I’ve said, the rank and file, have turned on Comey. This is why I believe Comey must use his field offices, and judges, from (outside) the DOJ to accomplish his goal. That is; to bring down the Clinton Crime Family!
      There’s also those Wikileaks emails showing where Chelsie Clinton did an audit, using outside CPA’s, on the foundation. Where Podesta calls her a “spoiled brat”!
      There’s more to these emails, we won’t find out until after the November election.
      I believe, when it all comes out, we will know exactly what that foundation is really about – a “pay for play operation”, (RICO), which is only making the Clinton’s and their cronies richer!

      1. Unfortunately Elf,

        No matter what is said in the news anywhere there has not been a Grand Jury impaneled and all search warrants are coming through negotiations with the DOJ and Huma Abedin’s attorneys.

        No doubt the negotiations included the same immunity deal and destruction of evidence that were given in the past in this pretend investigation.

        This investigation is nothing more then trying to find any evidence of wrong doing and destroying that evidence.

      2. Amazing – you have NO idea what you’re talking about – why aren’t you running for Congress or Senate so you can fix all of this – no constant bitching is just so much easier!

      3. Mad puppy,

        There you are. I was worried about you. Though you might have crawled out from under that bridge and got hit by a Car.

        Go on mad puppy you tell us woof woof woof.

      4. Hey Mad puppy,

        Are you paper trained yet?

        Did you happen to look down and see the headline.

        “FBI releases Bill Clinton closed case files days before vote”,
        ~
        “https://www.yahoo.com/news/fbi-releases-bill-clinton-closed-case-files-days-232844166.html”

        Billy Clinton sold a pardon for $1.5 million on his last day in office on January 20, 2001. Him and Pillary what a pair.

      5. The FBI opens thousands of cases a year that go nowhere – we live in a country of laws and EVERYONE is innocent until proven guilty. That means you can observe smoke but until you can prove a fire – there is no fire. If there was fire, why was the case closed? The documents were released pursuant to a FOIA request – guess what you would have never see it because it would have been exempt from disclosure under 7(A). If you’re going to spout a bunch of crap – know the rules. You guys live on innuendo no fact. We all should do better!

        Thank you for your concern Seymour – doing fine but battling the VA Bureaucracy

      6. Hey Mad puppy,

        Careful now you missed the paper with that one.

        “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov5kvWSz5LM”

      7. Mad puppy,

        If that video wasn’t enough to clean up that poo that missed the paper maybe this will Help.

        “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vrSvFlNaaA”

        “https://vault.fbi.gov/hillary-r.-clinton”

        Have a great day!

      8. Seymour, Seymour, Seymour,

        Trump TV, that’s impartial. So, does the c on this note = confidential?

        (a) I don’t consider Trump TV impartial at all
        (b) I don’t believe Clinton securely deleted a single email (support staff yes, her no)
        (c) BleachBit is free – although I like ccClean and SecureClean better
        (d) NIST and NSA prescribe methods to destroy devices that may have contained sensitive data – SEE destroy below – pulverize (i.e., with a hammer or press or vise etc,) is what is supposed to be done. One can’t omit facts for the convenience of the argument. Like gun control – one can’t buy a machine gun – why not? Because the second amendment isn’t absolute according to the Supreme Court – not my rule. Any the whole standard is NIST 800-88

        All other mobile devices This includes cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, tablets, and other devices not covered in the preceding mobile categories.
        Clear: Manually delete all information, then perform a full manufacturer’s reset to reset the mobile device to factory state. Sanitization performed via a remote wipe should be treated as a Clear operation, and it is not possible to verify the sanitization results.

        Purge: See Destroy. Many mobile devices only offer capabilities to Clear (and not Purge) the data contents. A mobile device may offer Purge capabilities, but these capabilities are specific to the hardware and software of the device and should be applied with caution. The device manufacturer should be referred to in order to identify whether the device has a Purge capability that applies media-dependent techniques (such as rewriting or block erasing) or Cryptographic Erase to ensure that data recovery is infeasible, and that the device does not simply remove the
        file pointers.

        Destroy: Shred, Disintegrate, Pulverize, or Incinerate by burning the device in a licensed incinerator.

        Notes: Following the Clear or (if applicable) Purge operation, manually navigate to multiple areas of the device (such as call history, browser history, files, photos, etc.) to verify that no personal information has been retained on the device. For both Clear and (if applicable) Purge, refer to the manufacturer for proper sanitization
        procedure.

  10. Notice in that photo what appears to be meticulously manicured grounds and grassy areas in center? Not to be deceived, as that is the VA’s new “Asbestos Gardens”, a designated area for Vets to set themselves aflame but not to be confused with a designated smoking area. Entirely different.

  11. pure va pr crap SAME RICO FEDERAL CRIME RACKETS THE AFGE UNION CONTRACTS RUN VA DEATHCARE FROM AFGE UNION HELL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  12. Here’s a local Louisiana report that also gives a larger photo of this killer VA employee, so Vets can be on lookout. Notice the last lines issued by the VA were all about Veteran’s SAFETY:

    “https://www.myarklamiss.com/crime/nursing-assistant-charged-with-manslaughter”

    “Pineville (KALB) — A nursing assistant from the Alexandria V.A. Medical Center has been arrested and charged with the death of a patient who was treated there in March.

    The Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office filed the charges following an investigation by the V.A.’s Inspector General’s Office.

    US Marshals arrested Frederick Kevin Harris on December 11 and charged him with manslaughter.

    According to the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office, the patient suffered a closed head injury while he was a patient.

    The patient was under Harris’ care when he received the injury.

    After being treated at Rapides Regional Medical Center, the patient was transferred to nursing home in Grant Parish, where he later died.

    An autopsy showed the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.

    A statement was released by V.A. Medical Center public affairs officer Tammie Arnold stating “We can confirm that Mr. Frederick Kevin Harris is employed at the Alexandria VA as a nursing assistant. VA is working with the authorities involved in this active investigation. Alexandria VA Medical Center’s number one priority is the safety and health of our Veterans and employees.”

  13. They did the same thing when they were opening the Orlando facility.

    The equipment did not change the way that the VA system works. When they fix the system, then they might garner more respect. The pretty building and new equipment will not change that.

    1. Right-on! I surely want a VA Healthcare System I can be proud of and until the cesspool of corruption is drained and rebooted, this brand new shiny monolithic VAMC is nothing but a gold plated turd. Some call it lipstick on a pig but the cesspool and turds is way more befitting, considering this brand new VAMC is still built upon swampland.
      Since this brand new VAMC looks very similar to the brand new stealth submarines and destroyers our Navy has built, and since a future New Orleans flood from hurricane is a likely probability, regardless of civil engineering efforts; I am wondering why this brand new VAMC does not have large lifeboats hanging just off the roof’s edge…you know, for the VA employees that pay their AFGE Dues to ride the V.A. Titanic?

      Rant Out. Oh, here’s the link to Ben’s article on the VA Employee Charged With Beating Elderly Veteran Patient Louisiana VAMC:
      “”https://www.disabledveterans.org/2015/12/11/va-employee-charged-with-beating-elderly-patient-to-death-still-employed-at-va/””

    2. Dude911,
      Did you know, no one actually knows the “True amount (of taxpayers monies) on the over budget” on that brand new VHA in Orlando, Florida!
      The different news stations have, for years, given different amounts. When anyone asked Rep. Mica, or any other person, there’s always double talk!
      Have you seen that bull shit campaign ad of Mica’s, concerning how he helps veterans? I went through his office once. He didn’t do a damn thing to help me. Just as he’s done nothing, for a majority of vets, here in Central Florida!

      Just like that “High Speed Rail System” Mica wanted so freaking bad. It loses lots of money every month. Yet, no one is talking about that either.

  14. “A tour of the New Orleans VHA?”
    That is fucking rich! Who made this decision? I believe what will happen is, the VSO’s and VA employees will act all nice and sweet UNTIL the patients arrive. Then, it’s treat them like shit!

    Was it ever brought up about that nurse (?) who beat that 70+ yr. old veteran to death? Is/was the family of that veteran compensated for losing a loved one? Did that nurse (?) ever get “prison time” for that crime?
    We know Congress won’t stop any VA employee from committing a crime. So, it’s business as usual – “LIE, LIE, UNTIL VETERANS DIE!”

    1. “https://www.disabledveterans.org/2015/12/11/va-employee-charged-with-beating-elderly-patient-to-death-still-employed-at-va/”

  15. “We want our veterans to feel safe and comfortable with their new surroundings…”

    How does that work when the “tour” is over and a Veteran is in their hospital bed where they should feel reasonably “safe” and one of the VA’s employees beat the Veteran to death in their hospital bed via blunt force trauma? Or, is that also part of the “safety tour”? Is that particular VA Medical Assistant acting as the “tour guide”?

    NO, WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN, you rat bastards! You can build the most fabulous Billion $ VAMC *but* if the exact same crappy employees are present, not exactly making anyone feel “safer” here. Incompetence loves a shiny new location so they can tarnish it with their maligned territorial pissings.

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