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Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) gave the following statement during a field hearing of the House Veteran’s Affairs Committee in Orlando:

“Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this hearing today. East-Central Florida has been in need of a veteran’s hospital for quite some time. A hospital for veterans in this underserved area of our nation has been talked about since the early 1980s. With actual construction set to begin this summer, I am pleased to say that a local hospital for our veterans is well on its way to becoming a reality for those who have waited for so long.

“I thank you, Chairman Filner, for the work you do on behalf of our nation’s veterans and for your support of this veteran’s hospital. I know that the veterans of East-Central Florida thank you for taking the time to come down to Florida to hear directly from them. Rep. Brown, and Brown-Waite you are fighters for all of our nation’s veterans, but Florida veterans in particular. Thank you for being here and for your work on the committee and on behalf of this veteran’s hospital.

“I’m glad to join with my colleagues - Rep. Kosmas and Rep. Grayson - as it is the veterans across our Congressional districts that will benefit the most from this hospital once it opens its doors. I think we also owe a debt of gratitude to our predecessors in Congress - Reps. Tom Feeney, Ric Keller and Dave Weldon - who worked hard getting this project off the ground, who got this hospital authorized and who are responsible for securing the appropriation of nearly half of the funding needed for the hospital.

“I believe more than anyone else, however, we owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans, without whom we would not be here today. Not only have the veterans in this community been working so hard to see this hospital become a reality, but it is they who sacrificed and gave of themselves to defend our liberty and protect this nation. We owe much to the veterans of yesterday, today and tomorrow. This hospital is but a small token of what we can and should be doing to make sure that their needs are met.

“Florida is second only to California when it comes to where veterans choose to reside. More than one-third of Florida’s 1.8 million veterans live in central Florida. Yet, currently there is no VA hospital to serve these veterans. This is particularly troubling given that this area is the number one destination for combat veterans over 65 or veterans who have 50 percent or more service connected disability. The need is great.

“My constituents in Osceola, Brevard and Polk will be well-served by this hospital. In 2012 when this hospital opens its doors, more that 400,000 veterans in central Florida will be served by this state of the art facility. Veterans seen at the Viera clinic in Brevard or the Community Based Outpatient Center (CBOC) in Kissimmee will now have an inpatient facility closer to home and within the VA health care system that can care for their specific needs.

“I also believe that the co-location of this facility with other medical facilities - including the new medical school – will greatly enhance the medical care that our veterans will receive.

“Thank you again Mr. Chairman for scheduling this hearing. And, thank you, veterans for what you have done for our nation and on behalf of your fellow veterans.”