Coatesville VA Director Responds To Report To Close Hospital

CHESTER COUNTY — The director of the Coatesville Veteran Affairs Medical center assured 19,000 veterans in Chester, Montgomery and Delaware counties that they will continue to receive top quality care amid reports of possible plans to close the nearly 91-year-old hospital.

The U.S. The Department of Veterans Affairs recommended in a report issued March 14 closing the center in an overall plan to close 35 hospitals in 21 states and build 14 new ones.

The recommendation calls for replacing the center with an outpatient clinic and constructing a new inpatient hospital in King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township.

Jeffrey A. Beiler II, director of the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the proposal is not definite, only the first step in a year-long review process.

The plan requires approval by an independent commission, Congress and President Joe Biden.

“This means, if approved, these recommendations are many years away from implementation and completion,” Beiller said in a prepared response. “As I have communicated with all the staff here at Coatesville VAMC, we need to continue to focus on providing the best possible care to the 19,000 Veterans we serve annually is here to serve you.”

Coatesville VAMC will celebrate its 91st anniversary in May.

“Through all those years, it was the dedication of generations of health care providers, administrative and environmental support staff who cared for our nation’s heroes and we continue to do so each and every day," Beiller said.

Lawmakers fight to stop closure

In the meantime, state lawmakers teamed up to stop the plan to close the facility.

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat representing portions of Montgomery and Berks counties, is leading a team of lawmakers representing Philadelphia, Delaware and Bucks counties, and the Lehigh Valley to prevent the closure.

The lawmakers said the report was prepared with data from 2019 before the pandemic and before the closure of Jennersville and Brandywine hospitals in Chester County.

The report states that the Coatesville medical center, built in 1930 on 129 acres, does not meet current design standards for health care. The cost to correct the deficiencies is estimated at $120.8 million.

The report also noted that there were 8,501 veterans living within 30 minutes and 73,481 living within 60 minutes of the facility. It also said that a new King of Prussia-based facility would be more centrally located to serve veterans.