HOK/Walsh/Core Team to lead strategic planning and development to best serve Veterans
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs to revitalize the West LA VA campus into a vibrant, welcoming, and sustainable community for Veterans has taken another key step forward. On June 8, 2015, a team comprised of HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, Walsh Group, and Core Companies, was selected to assist VA and the community in developing a new Master Plan for the West LA VA Campus. HOK has extensive global experience with strategic medical campus and facility planning projects. Their work includes projects in Southern California over the past 30 years, including involvement in a recent project at VA Long Beach Healthcare System.
With the announcement of an urban planning firm selected, VA is on schedule to develop and release a new Master Plan by October 16, 2015. That deadline is reflected in a January 28, 2015 “Principles Agreement” that dedicates the West LA campus to serving Veterans in need and created a new partnership for ending homelessness among Veterans in the LA area.
“We will transform the West LA VA campus into a vibrant community where all Veterans can receive healthcare, benefits, employment, and other supportive services which they deserve and to which they are entitled,” said Vincent Kane, Senior Advisor to the Secretary on Homelessness. “As we develop the details of that necessary goal through the Master Plan, the input we receive from all of our stakeholders and the community will be absolutely vital to charting our path forward. With the HOK/Walsh/Core team assisting in this effort, we are one step closer to achieving a gold standard of care, support, convenience, and customer service at the VA West LA Medical Center.”
The Master Plan will reflect VA’s intent to use the campus in a Veteran-centric manner going forward. This will mean quality care, services, and benefits provided directly to Veterans, including permanent supportive housing, particularly for chronically homeless, severely disabled, female, and aging Veterans. The vision also includes planning for significant and adequate levels of permanent supportive housing, time limited “bridge” and transitional housing on the West LA campus along with short term treatment services that can provide state-of-the-art primary care, mental health, and addiction services to Veterans, particularly chronically homeless Veterans.
Over the next three months through a series of focused groups and surveys VA will solicit feedback, comments and input from Veteran, Federal, State, and local stakeholders, Veteran Service Organizations, faith-based and charitable organizations, and community partners, to gain perspectives and vital information that will inform the plan. This input will be vital in helping VA make informed decisions needed to successfully complete the Master Plan.
About VAGLAHS
VAGLAHS is one component of the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network (VISN22) offering services to Veterans residing in Southern California. VAGLAHS consists of three ambulatory care centers, a tertiary care facility and eight community-based outpatient clinics. VAGLAHS serves Veterans residing throughout five counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. There are about 1.4 million Veterans in the VAGLAHS service area. For more information, call (310) 478-3711 or visit us at www.losangeles.va.gov. Veterans in need can call the VA hotline toll-free at 877-4-AID-VET.
About HOK
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm celebrating 60 years of design and innovation in 2015. Through a network of 25 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people’s lives and help clients succeed. DesignIntelligence has ranked HOK as a leader in sustainable and high-performance design for five consecutive years and recently named HOK the #1 most-admired firm for leadership in technology innovation.
About Walsh Group
The Walsh Group has been delivering construction-related projects to Veteran Affairs for more than 20 years, and is currently completing a major medical development for the VA Loma Linda Healthcare Center, a lease-back project to be delivered in the first quarter of 2016. Walsh Investors is an affiliate of The Walsh Group, a 116-year old company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The Walsh Group is the 15th largest healthcare builder and national contractor per Engineering News-Record, 2014.
About Core Companies
Core specializes in design and development of below-market-rate residential properties through partnerships with public agencies, non-profit organizations and private financing institutions. In December 2015, Core will complete construction of a 60-unit affordable housing community designed to serve homeless veterans located at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Menlo Park Campus. With proficiency in affordable housing finance and development best practices, Core builds consensus among multiple stakeholders while prioritizing resident experience and long-term sustainability.
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