Res. No. 422-A
Resolution calling upon the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) to completely renovate and utilize the existing St. Albans Community Living Center to provide a full-service V.A. hospital with an emergency room, a primary and extended care facility for female veterans, and a comprehensive treatment facility with domiciliary for homeless veterans.
By Council Members Sanders Jr., Barron, Chin, Dromm, Gentile, James, Lander, Nelson, Palma, Williams, Eugene, Comrie, Wills, Dickens, Cabrera, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Halloran and Koo
Whereas, The St. Albans Community Living Center opened in 1943 as the St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens, New York; and
Whereas, After construction was completed in 1950, the hospital consisted of 3000 beds and comprised a vast network of 76 hospital wards; and
Whereas, The Veterans Administration received the facility from the U.S. Navy on March 14, 1974; and
Whereas, By June 1974, the facility was transformed to the St. Albans Community Living Center, with 63 nursing care beds occupied and outpatient care services offered; and
Whereas, The St. Albans veterans facility is not a full-service hospital due to the lack of a 24-hour emergency unit with acute medical, surgical and psychiatric care and the lack of extended service care; and
Whereas, Veterans from Queens and nearby Nassau County who need the amenities of a full-service hospital are directed to the nearest emergency room, or the closest V.A. hospital in Manhattan or Brooklyn; and
Whereas, According to the 2000 census, Queens has the largest veterans population of all the New York City boroughs, and when combined with Nassau County, consists of roughly 208,577 veterans in close proximity to the St. Albans facility; and
Whereas, In 2004, the V.A. first signaled its intention to renovate the 55-acre property upon which the St. Albans veterans facility is located; and
Whereas, In 2006, the V.A. announced plans to erect a new health care facility on 30 acres of the property and lease the remaining 25 acres to private developers to construct commercial and residential buildings; and
Whereas, The Vietnam Veterans of America, Queens Chapter 32, and the Queens Chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars exclaim that the existing 67-year old St. Albans veterans facility is in immediate need of repair and should expand the range of services offered; and
Whereas, Community newspapers have reported that veterans organizations in Queens, Nassau County, and the surrounding areas share the view that only veterans' services should be conducted on the grounds of the St. Albans veterans facility, and that a full-service hospital serving both male and female veterans is necessary for this location; and
Whereas, Local civic and community organizations adjacent to the St. Albans veterans facility fully support the veterans in their quest for a full service hospital, and agree that residential or commercial development on the site is neither appropriate nor supportable by the local infrastructure; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) to completely renovate and utilize the existing St. Albans Community Living Center to provide a full-service V.A. hospital with an emergency room, a primary and extended care facility for female veterans, and a comprehensive treatment facility with domiciliary for homeless veterans.
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AC/BBB/BF
LS#1251
Date 5/9/11