SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio’s push for a new VA hospital is gaining momentum as funding to acquire land moves through the federal budget process.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones thanked him for a recent meeting and urged him to support including $30 million for land acquisition in the final federal appropriations package.
This story continues below.
The funding, proposed in President Donald Trump’s budget, would help move forward plans for a new VA medical center in San Antonio.
City leaders have argued the current VA hospital, now more than 50 years old, no longer meets the needs of the region’s growing veteran population. In March, Jones and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai jointly asked the VA to prioritize a replacement facility, citing limited space, one of the nation’s busiest VA emergency departments and an increasing demand for specialized long-term care.
In her latest letter, Jones also asked the VA to include San Antonio in future psychedelic-assisted therapy programs aimed at treating veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions.
Federal lawmakers have not yet finalized the spending package.