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| Wilson and House Veterans Committee Chair Tout Accomplishments for New Mexico’s/Nation’s Veterans |
August 10, 2000 |
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| Chairman Bob Stump (R-AZ) and Wilson
hold Forum and Tour Medical Center
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson and Rep. Bob Stump (R-AZ), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, participated in a Veterans Forum and tour of the Albuquerque Veterans Medical Center today.
“Three years after the fall of Saigon I entered the U.S. Air Force Academy and I am proud to be the only woman veteran to have ever served in the House of Representatives,” said Wilson after the forum. “With that honor comes a great deal of responsibility that I take very seriously. I will continue to fight to ensure that veterans get the benefits they were promised, the healthcare they deserve, and the recognition that our nation owes them.”
After being approached by veterans groups in Albuquerque, Wilson has worked to establish a new veterans cemetery in the Albuquerque area. New Mexico veterans leaders are concerned that the Santa Fe National Cemetery is nearing capacity and have long advocated the establishment of a new facility. Estimates are that the Santa Fe National Cemetery will run out of room as early as 2008.
Chairman Stump, a key player in the House on veteran’s issues, has endorsed Wilson’s plan for a new veterans cemetery in Albuquerque and today reiterated that support. “Heather has shown great foresight by recognizing that we need to plan well ahead so New Mexico will be prepared for the day when the Santa Fe cemetery runs out of new burial spaces for veterans. I commend her leadership on this important issue,” Stump told veterans at this afternoon’s forum.
The VA-HUD Appropriations bill passed by the House in June includes language to begin a study and site selection for a veterans cemetery in the Albuquerque area. The bill also fully funds veterans medical health care, providing a $1.3 billion increase over last year. Total funding for Fiscal Year 2001 is $20.3 billion. In Albuquerque, that translates into a $19 million increase in funding for the Albuquerque Medical center. That’s a 14.3% increase from $124 million in FY00 to $143 million for FY01. This represents one of the largest increases in the entire VA medical center system.
After the forum, Wilson and Stump toured the hospital facility, including a demonstration of cutting-edge imaging technology for cancer diagnosis and management. In January, the first two positron emission tomography (PET) scans performed in state occurred at the NM VA Health Care System. PET imaging at the New Mexico VA Hospital is available to both veterans and non-veterans.
Albuquerque’s VA Hospital treated more than 40,000 patients in FY99. They recorded 374,821 outpatient visits and 5,843 inpatient treatments.
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