Officials Still Awaiting VA Hospital Decision

A decision on where to locate a new veterans hospital in Louisville is expected in the near future.The Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to announce a plan for new facilities in the next few months. Currently, the options are to build a new inpatient center downtown and keep the outpatient center on Zorn Avenue; to build inpatient and outpatient centers downtown; or, to renovate the facilities at Zorn Avenue.But once a decision is made, VA facility planner Bob Morey says construction won't begin for some time."We still have to do design, and then construction," he says. "Whenever the decision's made, it will probably go through some kind of public hearing process."Morey says it's still possible that the VA Secretary could choose an entirely different location for the hospital, as well. The University of Louisville and Metro Government favor a downtown facility because of its proximity to other hospitals. Many veterans say the Zorn Avenue facilities are more convenient and renovating them would saves money.