Warner, Moran tour new Belvoir hospital

FORT BELVOIR — Former Virginia governor turned U.S. Sen. Mark Warner joined Congressman Jim Moran and other Fort Belvoir leaders Feb. 18 for a tour of the new, state-of-the-art community hospital located just inside Pence Gate.

The $807 million Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, which is scheduled for completion in Spring 2011, will consist of a multi-story, 120-bed hospital, four attached clinic buildings, a helipad and two parking garages.

Both Warner and Moran were impressed by the size of the hospital, which measures more than 1 million square feet. Nearly two years after the first piece of steel was erected at the site, the two officials walked through one of the outpatient buildings and got a glimpse of what many of the exam rooms will look like once completed.

The group also got an up-close look at what engineers consider to be one of the hospital’s most distinct features — a main reception area overlooking an outside garden. As an added bonus, specially-designed roofs are in place to collect and store water for the garden and surrounding landscape.

“I’m impressed with the patient-friendly design of the hospital. Without a doubt, this is going to be a world-class facility once it’s completed,” Warner said at the conclusion of his visit. “It’s fitting we have something substantive that shows our appreciation for the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. It makes me very proud to know we will have a cutting-edge hospital right here in Virginia.”

Like his colleague, Moran said the hospital has a very sophisticated approach that makes it user-friendly. He also applauded the Army for incorporating residential areas that family members can use while visiting their loved ones.

“This will be a hospital that not only Virginia can be proud of, but the entire country,” Moran added. “The finest military in the world deserves nothing but the best in return.”