American Lake Veteran's Hospital

American Lake Veteran’s Hospital

History:

In 1923, the Secretary of the Army authorized, under a revocable license, the Veteran Bureau’s use of 377 acres of the 87,000 acre Fort Lewis property. The site chosen on the western shores of American Lake soon became home for the buildings of Spanish American architecture. Many of the stucco and terra cotta buildings are listed on the National Register of Historical Buildings, and are still enjoyed today.

The medical center was dedicated in 1924 to care for WWI veterans. The single mission was neuropsychiatric treatment. On Mar 15, 1924, the first 50 patients were admitted to the hospital, by transfer, from Western Washington State Hospital at Fort Steilacoom.
The medical center grew over the years from its original mission to become a multi-care facility. In the 1960’s and 1970’s Ambulatory Surgical Services, a 76-bed nursing home, Blind Rehabilitation Services, a Substance Abuse Treatment Program, and a 60-bed homeless Domiciliary were added to expand the scope of care to veterans.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, special programs such as Vocational Rehab, Residential Care, and Post Traumatic Stress Treatment Program were added. Then, in 1998, Primary Care and Women’s Health Clinic were added.

On June 25, 2010 a ribbon cutting ceremony took place for the opening of the new Community Living Center. The design and operation of the facility is based on a new concept called “cultural transformation”. This concept is an environment which treats residents as a whole based on their individual medical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

The Center is not the traditional institutional design. From having a “main street” and “neighborhoods” to the open spaces and a wander garden, it is designed to offer a sense of home.

The Center will have 83 beds divided into four units to include Hospice, Rehab, and Alzheimer/Dementia.

The new dining facility is fabulous and meets the needs of the whole hospital.

Not only is the Center built around a new concept, it is GREEN built. The facility has applied for LEED certification and is likely to receive Silver or Gold status as an environmentally friendly building. This will make it one of the first VA buildings to achieve this high of a LEED certification.

Congratulations and Kudos!!!

Thanks to the American Lake Veteran’s Hospital website for all the info.

Korean War - the forgotten war

War broke out on June 25, 1950 and President Truman ordered U.S. troops to Korea on June 27, 1950. Actual hostilities ceased on July 27, 1953 but the official end date is January 31, 1955. Congress designated the extension to define a period of eligibility to include a period of uneasy peace negotiations.

Battle dead: 33,665
Killed in action: 23,898
Died from battle wounds: 2,536
Missing in action: 4,793 (presumed dead)
POW deaths: 2,701 (total POW's returned: 4,418)
Wounded total: 103,200

Still listed as MIA: 8,176

There are approximately 2.5 million Korean War veterans. About 848,000 of these vets also served in other wartime periods. The median age of Korean War vets is 69.

All so interesting, isn't it?

Thanks to the VA for providing all this information.

I am going to interrupt my series to talk about the American Lake Veteran's Hospital in my next post - check back!!

Thanks

Update on 11th St Bridge

A loan for 20 million was just granted the city (great terms). Now they can finish all phases by their 2012 deadline.