Congresswoman Gwen Moore Hails Decision of U.S. Senate to Fund New Spinal Cord Injury Unit for Veterans at Zablocki
Congresswoman Gwen Moore Hails Decision of U.S. Senate to Fund New Spinal Cord Injury Unit for Veterans at Zablocki
Congresswoman Gwen Moore today hailed the decision of the Senate Committee on Appropriations to include Milwaukee's Zablocki VA Medical Center on a list of veterans medical facilities slated to receive funding for significant structural refurbishment and technological upgrades. Zablocki, a major veterans' facility in Wisconsin's Fourth Congressional District, had been placed on a priority list by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in February to receive $32.5 million for a new Spinal Cord Injury Unit (SCI) in the 2007 budget. However, in May the House Committee on Appropriations released its version of next year's budget allocations without including Zablocki, a decision that was decried as totally out of step with both the priorities of the VA as well as the most urgent medical needs of veterans with spinal cord injuries across the nation.
"Many thanks to Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl for making sure this funding for Zablocki was included in the Senate's military construction appropriations bill," said Congresswoman Gwen Moore. "The Department whose job is to care for paralyzed veterans told us this was their first priority. This Zablocki SCI unit is one of only 23 SCI units in the country, serving more than 500 veterans as inpatients and over 10,000 outpatients each year."
Congresswoman Moore has been a strong advocate for Zablocki Medical Center, its patients, and its staff, calling on the VA to list it as a priority in its proposed budget and immediately offering an amendment on the floor of the House last May to reinstate the funding for Zablocki in the House military construction appropriations bill. Moore has vowed to work with Senator Herb Kohl, Ranking Member David Obey, and the rest of the Wisconsin delegation to make every effort to ensure that the funding makes its way into the final House-Senate appropriations conference report.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/wi04_moore/pr060721.html