Optimism for new Lovell Center
The federal government is a frequent target for criticism for being wasteful and inefficient, and with good reason.
With no shortage of examples of expensive toilet seats, bridges to nowhere and bloated bureaucracies to identify, it's not surprising that good government watchdogs and taxpayers alike are usually skeptical of any project or policy to come out of the Beltway.
However, details behind the new Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, dedicated last week, give us hope the government may have gotten it right this time.
Not only does this facility represent a much-needed upgrade in care for active Navy personnel and their families, veterans and military retirees, but it also combines two nearby, but previously separate, health-care operations into one to eliminate duplication of services.
We also enthusiastically applaud its name. Lovell, a Lake Forest resident, retired naval officer and astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 mission, is a true American hero.
"I am deeply humbled to have my name associated with this institution," the 82-year-old Lovell told dignitaries during the dedication ceremony. And the institution is the better for being associated with Lovell.
Much of our optimism for the agency's success stems from what the center is designed to do: combine the North Chicago VA Medical Center and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes. Doing so gives Great Lakes Naval Station personnel and the VA clients access to the same medical care.
The $143 million project included construction of a new ambulatory care facility on the VA's 107-acre North Chicago campus and the renovation of existing VA space, such as the surgery and emergency departments. There are also community-based outpatient clinics in Evanston, McHenry and Kenosha, Wis. By combining operations, officials expect to save $20 million annually. The project also eliminates the need for building an $80 million medical facility at Great Lakes, the country's only naval training base.
The venture joining the North Chicago VA and the Navy is projected to serve 100,000 people per year, while also allowing for cutting-edge research and education. That's a far cry from 1999, when a VA report recommended eliminating critical-care services and other operations at the North Chicago hospital. That recommendation was met by a storm of criticism from angry vets in northern Illinois who would have been forced to travel to facilities in Milwaukee, Maywood or Chicago for care.
Today, federal officials say the Lovell Federal Health Center will serve as a model for other VA-military medical facility combinations in the United States. We certainly hope so and will be watching to see if the facility can live up to its namesake and the promise of its mission.