Secretary Shinseki announces health care expansion plan in Albany, New York

Lease Will Give VA More Space for Health Care Services

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced a plan to expand health care in Albany, N.Y., by leasing 2.4 acres to a private-sector medical facility in exchange for construction of a 30,000 square-foot building for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at its Samuel S. Stratton VA Medical Center.

"This is a win-win situation for Veterans and for the community," said Secretary Shinseki. "As we modernize VA moving toward a 21st century organization, we will continue to look for collaboration opportunities to play an important role in expanding services for Veterans."

The new building, to be used by VA for administrative functions and training, will free up space for Veterans' clinical services elsewhere on the campus. Meanwhile, the VA-affiliated Albany Medical Center will use the leased federal land to build a needed parking garage to serve the larger community with a potential for retail use in some of the space.

VA's Samuel S. Stratton Medical Center serves Veterans in 22 counties of upstate New York, western Massachusetts and Vermont. It provides primary care, wellness and preventive outpatient care, and the full range of inpatient medical care, including specialty services.