CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : MARTINEZ : VA Plans to Close 259-Bed Hospital
The Veterans Administration says it plans to close its 259-bed medical center here because of “seismic deficiencies.” The 28-year-old hospital, built with what a VA spokesman calls “1958 design technology,” is in an area between two active earthquake faults and is close to a third. Veterans Affairs Secretary Edward J. Derwinski said in Washington that the VA will seek $217 million for construction of a 243-bed hospital and $12 million for a 120-bed nursing home unit on the campus of UC Davis. The VA also plans to request $51 million for an outpatient clinic and 120-bed nursing home in Martinez. After a survey last month, engineers found that the major clinical building there fails to meet earthquake standards and recommended it be closed.
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