IMEG helps develop initial plan for $1 billion VA medical center expansion

IMEG helped develop the initial planning for the upcoming $1 billion overhaul of the John Cochran V.A. Medical Center complex in St. Louis, funding for which is now the federal Veterans Administration’s top priority. 

The nearly 70-year-old medical center serves about 65,000 veterans annually and the last sizeable renovation was in the 1980s. It is the Veteran Administration’s Midwestern hub for spinal cord injuries, offers inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services, and emergency care.  

The plan for renovating the campus puts veteran care and comfort at the forefront. It included building and system recommendations, including demolition, costs, schedule, phasing, and prioritization.  

Under the plan—which will take over a decade to complete—the 11-acre campus would expand several blocks and add 700,000-sf of facilities to replace existing facilities. New buildings would include a nine-story hospital tower with private patient rooms, a 30-bed specialized spinal cord injury unit, inpatient mental health, emergency department, intensive care unit, pharmacy, parking garages, and central utility plant. 

The VA has received preliminary congressional approval and funding for design and property acquisition but must still receive final congressional approval.