INFORMATION #2 11-03-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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0 CT 2 4 2008 October 15, 2008 The Honorable Michele Bachmann United States Congresswoman 6~ District of Minnesota 412 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congresswoman Bachmann: We, the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners are asking your help in bringing a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to Elk River, Minnesota. We fully agree with the original VA CARES Commission Report (Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services) that selected Elk River as an optimal site for the placement of a VA Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). It is .our concern that the subsequent VA's business plan changed the location from Elk River, MN, to the 'NW Mefro Region' as the proposed site. This creates a more ambiguous situation for us as we plan for it's location in Elk River. It is important to note, that shortly after the CARES Report was published in 2004, the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners and Minnesota Commissioner of Veterans Affairs met with Dr. Petzel, the VISN 23 Director. The purpose of this meeting was to gain a better understanding of the CBOC project and to demonstrate our genuine support and resolve by offering community resources to ensure it's successful completion. We had hoped that this meeting would be the beginning of ongoing dialog and cooperation, in spite of the project being several years out. We were informed in the fall of 2007 that the CBOC Business Plan had been prepared and was being sent to Central Office in Washington, D.C. Following a comprehensive review process (General Review, Technical Review and National Task Force Review) the CBOC business plan was then forwarded to VA Secretary Peake, for approval. It is our understanding that the VA CBOC Business Plan details the broad specifications of the project, and once approved, becomes the funding authority. In late July, we were informed by Dr. Petzel's office, VISN 23 Director, that the CBOC Business Plan had been approved by VA Secretary Peake; however our request for a copy of the approved business plan was denied, pending the official distribution of the Request for Proposal (RFP) by the contracting office. We were referred to Kevin Hendricks, the Minneapolis VA contracting officer, and told that there has been arother delay in the CBOC Request for Proposal (RFP) timeline distribution. He stated the delay was due to the fact that the project has been expanded to a 'Super CBOC' which significantly changed the size, capacity and types of services that are provided. Of great concern is that this delay continues to hinder our attempts at obtaining specific information pertaining to the specifications and timeline of the "Super CBOC' project. In the interim of the RFP being distributed, we have requested a copy of the approved CBOC Business Plan from Dr. Petzel. Furthermore, we are requesting full inclusion in the RFP process, to include notification of all updates and amendments. A CBOC located in Elk River would provide healthcare to over 6,000 Sherburne County veterans, in addition to enhancing accessibility to veterans in our neighboring communities such as Anoka, Wright, & Isanti Counties. We believe Elk River is favored for the following reasons: Elk River is centrally located and easily accessible from other communities, by way of several major highway systems.