100K square foot Worcester VA facility off the table

PHOTO/COURTESY This aerial image, provided courtesy of University of Massachusetts Medical School, shows the location of the proposed VA facility (outlined in yellow) on Belmont Street in Worcester.

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By Sam Bonacci

The UMass Medical School and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will offer expanded medical coverage for veterans at the UMass Medical School in Worcester despite pulling plans for a 100,000 square foot new construction.

Despite the lack of new construction, collaboration between the two entities will move forward, according to a release from the Veteran's Affairs.

Beginning in 2016, the UMMS campus will begin providing specialty care within 13,000 square feet the Biotech 4 building at 365 Plantation St., according to the VA of Central Western Massachusetts. The annex will provide highly demanded specialty services including podiatry, optometry and audiology.

Congress has also authorized the VA, through the Veterans Choice and Accountability Act, to lease a 40,000 square foot clinical space to replace the current outdated, 25,000 square foot community-based outpatient clinic on Lincoln Street. The VA has advanced two lots as finalists for that clinic, including the MassDOT property at 403 Belmont St. which is owned by UMMS, which is adjacent to the medical school campus.

There was no information given in the release about the proposed construction of a new building announced last fall. A report this fall indicated that project had been put on hold. However, VA Chief of Staff Rob Nabors said that “many options remain on the table” in the release, announcing the expanded partnership.

Additionally, both institutions are working toward a short-term agreement that could make clinical space available for VA health care providers to treat veterans in the 15,000 square foot Ambulatory Care Center on the UMMS campus.

Clarification: The headline of this story has been changed from the original version to reflect that UMMS is still currently bidding to build a 40,000 square foot facility for the VA.