Orlando's VA Medical Center taking shape

Orlando's VA Medical Center taking shape

By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel
10:29 p.m. EST, January 24, 2011

The Orlando VA Medical Center slated to open next year in Lake Nona will offer some nationwide firsts for the more than 100,000 Central Florida military veterans expected to seek treatment there.

The $600 million-plus facility, which includes a hospital, clinic, nursing home and rehabilitation center, will be the only such center in the country in which all of the rooms are private. Each one will be equipped with a hoist and railings for lifting patients, and they will accommodate all but intensive care so patients don't have to move to new rooms as they recover. Each room will also have a view of a lake, conservation area or garden, and offer Internet access.

"It's very much different than anything else you'd see around here," said Joe Battle, who oversees construction of the center for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "It's very much about making this as home-like of an environment as possible."

Everything from colors to textures have been chosen to create a more comfortable feel than that of the typical hospital, he added. Window glass, for instance, is 3 inches thick to keep out noise from nearby Orlando International Airport.
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Orlando's VA Medical Center taking shape