A $40 million veterans outpatient facility at the Heinz campus in O’Hara should open by January 2011, a spokesman for the general contractor said at Monday’s groundbreaking.
The two-story Ambulatory Care Center is part of a $200 million project to consolidate services within the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System by closing the Highland Drive location and moving its operations to VA hospitals in O’Hara and Oakland.
The facility will gather outpatient services that are scattered among several buildings at Highland Drive and in the H. John Heinz III Progressive Care Center in O’Hara.
The facility will gather outpatient services that are scattered among several buildings at Highland Drive and in the H. John Heinz III Progressive Care Center in O’Hara.
"The ambulatory settings for primary care and for specialized care — for follow-up prosthetics, for example — are all going to be contained in the same facility," said Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless.
That means veterans would go to one building for treatment instead of shuttling among several in two locations. Putting the services in a modern building should improve the quality of care, officials said.
The VA expects the facility to record at least 230,000 patient visits annually.
In addition to primary care, the facility will house physical rehabilitation, audiology, dental, prosthetics, outpatient pharmacy and patient education services, according to the VA. A color-coded sign system will help veterans and other visitors navigate the building.
Terry Wolf, CEO of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, said the building’s design includes several energy-saving and "green" features. The agency anticipates getting a certification from the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, Wolf said.
Prep work at the site began with demolition of several buildings. "It’s pretty straightforward construction," said Keith Kovach, a spokesman for Chicago-based Walsh Construction. The target date for opening is Jan. 18, 2011.
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