Congresswoman Lee Participates in Land Transfer Ceremony for Alameda Point Outpatient Clinic
Alameda, CA – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined Principal Executive Director of the Veterans Affairs Office of Acquisition, Glenn Haggstrom; Navy BRAC Director, Kimberly Ostrowski; Director of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, David Stockwell; Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore; Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission Chairman, Conway Jones and others for land transfer ceremony for the new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic and Columbarium at Alameda Point. Following the ceremony, Congresswoman Lee released this statement:
“It was a pleasure to join Directors Haggstrom, Ostrowski and Stockwell, Mayor Gilmore and Chairman Jones for today’s land transfer ceremony. As a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, I have been and will remain a strong advocate for this project, working to ensure the required federal investments required for the rapid completion of the project and high-quality health services for the veterans this center will serve.
“The care and support of our nation’s deployed personnel and returning veterans is one of our most vital responsibilities in Congress and a very personal issue for me. My father served 25 years in the Army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Like all our nation’s servicemen and women, he served with distinction. As a nation, we must never forget our promise to our servicemen and women who sacrifice so much.
“With returning veterans reaching record numbers, the facilities in downtown Oakland have been outgrown. Locating state-of-the-art primary, specialty and mental health services in one East Bay location is vital because many veterans face mobility challenges. We owe our brave veterans one central location for all their medical needs.
“California is home to the nation’s largest veteran population, and with more than 25,000 veterans living in the 13th Congressional district, we have an even greater responsibility to provide our veterans with the best and most innovative care in the country.
“As a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, I will continue to fight, in Congress, for adequate funding for our veterans and their healthcare, housing, education and benefits.
"Additionally, I have met with Veteran Affairs Secretary McDonald. I am encouraged by his vision to modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs to be more responsive to veterans and their families to get them off of waiting lists and into clinics. In Congress, I will continue to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is responsive to our veterans and working to provide them with the services and benefits they have earned.”
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and Opportunity.