Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Portland VA) is a 160-bed, acute care

medical facility A health facility is, in general, any location where healthcare is provided. Health facilities range from small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and large hospitals with elaborate emergency rooms and trauma centers. The numbe ...

opened in 1929 by the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, located on Marquam Hill in Portland, adjacent to Oregon Health & Sciences University, and is connected to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital via a skybridge. The original hospital was replaced in the 1980s and had a capacity of up-to 478 beds.

History

The University of Oregon Medical School's regents (now Oregon Health & Science University) donated land on Marquam Hill in 1926 to what is now the Department of Veterans Affairs. The property was to be used to construct a veterans hospital, with construction starting in February 1928. Offices opened at the new facility in November 1928, and patients were transferred to the new hospital in December 1928. In 1932, an administration building opened, followed by 13

quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War ...

s from 1946 to 1948 following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The last addition to the old campus came in 1949 when a 155-bed tuberculosis hospital opened. The Portland VA started working with the adjacent medical school in 1946 on joint programs. The Veterans Administration announced in May 1976 that a new hospital would be built in Portland. A local group formed in 1980 to fight construction, and went to court in 1981 to try to stop the project. A new building was finished in 1981 in order to move some operations away from the planned location of the new hospital building. The suit was eventually dismissed in October 1981 by judge Robert C. Belloni, and in January 1982 the design of the new building was unveiled as construction started. The new building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership (now

ZGF Architects LLP ZGF Architects LLP (ZGF), formerly Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, is an American Architectural firm founded in 1942 based in Portland, Oregon with seven offices in the United States and Canada. History The company was founded in 1942 in Por ...

), with W.B. Bateson Co. serving as the general contractor. Construction ended in September 1987 on the main building, and it was dedicated in November 1987. In February 1988, the new $136 million facility opened to patients on Marquam Hill after a 364-day delay in construction, and demolition of the old buildings started in May 1988. When the new facility opened, it had a capacity of 478 beds, but never had staffing to operate at full capacity, and as of 1990 only used 399 beds. The final phase of construction was a $11.7 million, 413-space parking garage built starting in 1990. In 1992, a long pedestrian bridge linking OHSU Hospital and the VA Hospital opened. The $7.4 million bridge is the longest of its type in North America. Due to staffing problems the VA closed its emergency room at night in April 1994. Due to budget cuts, the facility announced 150 layoffs in June 1996. At that time, the hospital's budget was $140 million, which grew to $192 million in 2000. In July 2006, the hospital opened a new $3.7 million, center for hearing disabilities. The Portland VA served 33,000 patients in 2000, 51,000 patients in 2004, which grew to 80,000 in 2012.

Details

Services at the 160-bed medical center's campus include primary care, radiology, speech and language pathology, social work, prosthetics, rehabilitation, emergency care, a pharmacy, and laboratory services, among others. The

acute care Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery.Alberta Health ServicesAcute care.Acce ...

medical center is accredited by

The Joint Commission The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majorit ...

, and has approximately 80,000 visitors annually. The main building has nine stories above ground plus a penthouse, and two underground floors. The steel and concrete high-rise building has a total of of space. Overall, the campus has of space. The long pedestrian bridge linking the medical center to OHSU Hospital was constructed with of steel and is supported by two towers, each tall.

References

External links

Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- ''U.S. News & World Report'' {{authority control 1928 establishments in Oregon Hospitals established in 1928 Hospital buildings completed in 1928 Hospital buildings completed in 1932 Hospital buildings completed in 1981 Veterans Affairs medical facilities Hospitals in Portland, Oregon Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings Skyscrapers in Portland, Oregon Skyscrapers in Oregon