The costs to get the U.S. Veterans Affairs medical complex in Aurora, Colo., open and operating have grown by $40 million over the past three years, bringing the total tab to more than $2 billion and putting the 11-building hospital campus among the most expensive healthcare construction projects in the world, according to The Denver Post.
Direct construction costs for the hospital campus exceeded $1.7 billion when it opened in 2018, the VA told the Post. The price tag grew after fixing or reworking dozens of items, including problems with the sewers, downspouts spewing hazardous liquid and improper fire doors, according to the Post.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., took issue with the total cost but said the new campus has benefitted veterans.
"Certainly there were issues and $2 billion is a huge price tag, but was it worth it to provide our veterans the best possible healthcare? You bet," Mr. Perlmutter told the Post. "In the end, we got it done, which was the right thing to do to ensure the veterans of the Rocky Mountain region have access to the high-quality healthcare they need and deserve."
The VA is also proud of the services provided to veterans at the new medical campus. A spokesperson noted that many of the veterans who get care at the new facilities have complex healthcare needs.
"The center provides state of the art care … to include advanced treatment for spinal cord injury, women's health care and inpatient treatment for a variety of ailments in a healing environment made up of all private patient rooms," a VA spokesperson told the Post.
Read the full article from The Denver Post here.