President Barack Obama signed into law a measure that will allow a public-private partnership to construct a $136 million veterans' healthcare facility in Omaha, Neb., according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
Under the measure, the Department of Veterans Affairs will provide $56 million to build a new 157,000-square-foot medical facility adjacent to the current VA hospital in Omaha. The remaining $80 million will come from private donors, according to the report. Three local businessmen have signed on with the VA to provide the private donations.
The public-private funding for the new medical center is the first arrangement of its kind for the VA, Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford told the Omaha World-Herald.
The measure to create the public-private partnership was spurred by a 2007 study, which found the current hospital had significant issues with its electrical, heating and cooling systems. The VA disclosed plans for a $560 million, 1 million-square-foot replacement in 2011. Congress approved $56 million to begin planning the project, and the new structure was initially projected to open in 2018. However, the plans and construction were delayed as a result of funding shortages and shifting VA priorities, according to the report.
The measure was driven in the House by Rep. Ashford of Omaha and sponsored in the Senate by Republican Sen. Deb Fischer.