Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
SALEM—The Salem VA Health Care System announced last month it has begun a series of infrastructure upgrades aimed at ensuring safe and effective patient care.
The projects are part of a record $4.8 billion in nationwide Department of Veterans Affairs spending to modernize, repair and improve health care facilities during fiscal year 2026 through the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-Recurring Maintenance program.
First-quarter fiscal year 2026 improvement projects in Salem include:
• Renovating tile floors in 20 private patient restrooms in a medical-surgical unit at the Salem VA Medical Center. The unit serves veterans recovering from surgery or receiving treatment for illnesses.
• Upgrading the medical center’s imaging space, including architectural, electrical and mechanical components, to allow installation of a new nuclear medicine camera. Officials said the camera will improve care and comfort by offering more precise diagnoses, reduced radiation dosage and shorter scan times.
• Installing new and upgraded gas and groundwater monitoring wells at the medical center campus landfill to ensure environmental safety compliance with standards set by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
“Improved facilities, equipment and infrastructure mean better care for veterans, and these funds will enable the Salem VA Health Care System to achieve that goal,” interim director Tammy Snyder said in a statement. “Better care for veterans is our goal, and these projects will enable us to achieve just that.”
According to the release, the infrastructure investments are part of broader initiatives to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs during the second administration of President Donald Trump. Since Jan. 20, 2025, the agency reports it has reduced the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 60%, eliminated the backlog of veteran families waiting for VA health care, processed a record three million disability claims during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, opened 25 new health care clinics nationwide and provided more than 1.9 million appointments outside normal operating hours.