The US Department of Veterans Affairs is out with a report that calls for the closing of its Northampton, Massachusetts facility and transferring services to both Springfield and Newington, Connecticut.
The same report however is also recommending either renovating some smaller facilities in New England or closing others.
But the report indicates that the Providence facility will stay intact and expand in some ways.
The report concludes that there are few alternatives for Residential Rehab care and that renovations be made to the current Providence facility.
The report says:
"With demand for inpatient medical and surgical care projected to decrease by 14.6%, this modernization reduces the number of beds from 56 to 52. Demand for inpatient mental health services is projected to decrease by 18.8%."
The report also recommends expansion of the Emergency Department at The Providence VA to include a Fast Track Program. More than 19 thousand veterans went through the ER last year and the report concludes creating a Fast Track approach would create better and faster service.
No no final decisions have been made yet.
Now the report, although extensive is not the final straw. There will be hearings on the issue, public input and debate before a final set of recommendations reach The President's desk sometime in 2023.
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