Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center

The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), opened on October 1, 2010, and is the United States' first federal health care center that partners the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense into a single, fully integrated federal health care facility.

Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
Geography
LocationNorth Chicago, Illinois, United States
Coordinates42°18′25″N 87°51′39″W[1]
Organization
Care systemDepartment of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense
TypeFederal health care center (medical)
Affiliated universityRosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Services
Emergency departmentComprehensive emergency center
History
OpenedOctober 1, 2010 (2010-10-01)
Links
Websitewww.lovell.fhcc.va.gov
ListsHospitals in Illinois

Location

The medical center is located in North Chicago, Illinois, and is on the grounds of the former North Chicago VA Medical Center,[2] opened on 1 March 1926.[3][4] During the years from 1928 to 1939, an additional six buildings were constructed. In 1939, the hospital was renamed the Downey Veteran Administration Hospital.[5] In 1976, the hospital reverted to its original North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center name.

The arrangement incorporates facilities and services from both the former North Chicago VA Medical Center and the former Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes, a part of Naval Station Great Lakes.[2]

The center is a system of facilities throughout Northeastern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin that provide medical and dental services to U.S. military veterans, recruits, active duty and eligible beneficiaries.

History

The merger was accomplished in three phases and is named in honor of Apollo 13 astronaut, Captain James A. Lovell, USN.[6]

The Base Realignment and Closure committee's recommendations of 1995, Executive Order 13214 of 2001 (Presidential Task Force to Improve Healthcare Delivery for our Nation's Veterans), the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhancement Services (CARES) study of 2001, the Center for Naval Analysis recommendations of 2002, and Congressional support drove the integration of these two federal departments.

The unique partnership began in October 2002, when the Veterans Health Administration and the DoD signed an Executive Council Decision Memo, directing the partnership between the two medical centers. The first phase of the partnership was accomplished in October 2003, when the U.S. Navy shifted their inpatient mental health care to the North Chicago VAMC.

Phase II of the partnership included a $13 million VA renovation and modernization project to expand the Emergency and Surgery Departments at the North Chicago VAMC. As part of this phase, the U.S. Navy transferred all operating room, intensive care unit and emergency room services to the VA, including pediatrics. The North Chicago VA Medical Center is the only Veterans Affairs facility to offer pediatrics. In addition, all NHCGL inpatient medical, surgical and services were transferred to the North Chicago VAMC. This phase was completed in June 2006.

Phase III included a $130 million DoD construction project to build a new 201,000-square-foot (18,700 m2) ambulatory care center next to the North Chicago VAMC,[7] renovation of more than 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) of existing space, and a new parking garage and surface parking area. This phase was completed in December 2010.

Beneficiaries

The design of the medical center allows for medical care for military veterans, active-duty military members, their families, and TRICARE-eligible retirees.

Leadership

The center is led by a Veterans Affairs Senior Executive Services Officer as Director, and a U.S. Navy Captain as Deputy Director.

References
  1. "Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. "About the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. FAP-437 (Lake Front Hwy) from I-94 to IL-132, Lake County: Environmental Impact Statement 1985
  4. Medicine, Institute of; Populations, Board on the Health of Select; Center Merger, Committee on Evaluation of the Lovell Federal Health Care (28 December 2012). "History and Context". National Academies Press (US) – via www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  5. "DAC: Document Download". www.dacbond.com.
  6. Moran, Dan (October 2, 2015). "Namesake Brings Personal Touch to Lovell Center Fete". Chicago Tribune. p. 1-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "100,000 to Be Served by First-of-its-Kind Health Center" (Press release). North Chicago, Illinois: United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.