Milwaukee VA Hospital Gains New Spinal Cord Treatment Center

WASHINGTON, July 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) has awarded a $26.9 million contract to design and build a
free-standing spinal cord injury center at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.

The contract was awarded to the C3T Construction Company of Milwaukee, a
service-disabled, Veteran-owned small business. The 67,000-square-foot
building will have a connecting tunnel, providing access to the hospital, and
replace a smaller unit in the main hospital building. Design and construction
of the center will overlap and the project is expected to be finished in less
than two years.

The two-story structure, like the original unit, will provide 38 beds and
outpatient services. The additional space is designed to improve
accessibility, privacy and independence for patients; improve efficiency of
staff; and increase space for physical and recreational therapy, a specialty
clinic, a kitchen and administration.

Funding for the project was appropriated in fiscal year 2007.

VA is a leader in research related to spinal cord injury care and
rehabilitation, providing a lifelong continuum of services for injured
veterans of all ages. VA's expertise in this area ranges from emergency care
and surgical stabilization to rehabilitation, preventive care and long-term
care.

About 42,000 Americans with serious spinal cord injuries or disorders are
Veterans eligible for medical care and other benefits from VA. The department
provided a full range of care to nearly 26,000 Veterans with spinal cord
injuries and disorders in 2008 and specialty care to about 13,000 of these
Veterans.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-461-7600