“I applaud Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson’s decision to keep open two VA hospitals in New York City and modernize a third facility so they can continue to provide high-quality care for the more than 300,000 veterans of our City. As I said when I testified before the federal Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) panel last year, we have a moral obligation to care for the men and women who fought to defend our freedoms. The VA had considered closing two of its New York City hospitals, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but Secretary Nicholson did the right thing both for the veterans of our city who proudly served us in uniform and for the active duty men and women of our armed forces fighting today who will be tomorrow’s veterans. I also would like to commend Secretary Nicholson for his decision to modernize another VA facility in Saint Albans, which is known for excellence in geriatrics for our veteran seniors. The four New York City VA facilities, including one in Kingsbridge in the Bronx, together provide unparalleled care for the more than 1.3 million veterans in the New York City region.

“I would like to thank the members of New York’s Congressional Delegation, along with the New York University Medical Center, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, and Clarice Joynes of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs for their tireless efforts in advocating to keep these VA facilities open and protect the rights of veterans to whom we owe so much.”