James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital - Tampa, Florida

The new, 1,500-space parking garage at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital Phase I of a major expansion of the hospital’s Polytrauma Center. VA photo by Ebby Talebi

The James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital’s long-awaited 1,500-space parking garage will open to patients and visitors on November 21, 2011; a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony was held on the November 15, 2011.  And for many, this was a great reason to celebrate.

Built in 1972, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital is one of the country’s busiest VA hospitals with a bustling medical campus that sees about 4,000 outpatient visits a day and more than one million outpatient visits a year.  With so many visitors on the land-locked, highly urban Tampa site, parking close to the hospital is exceedingly difficult to find—and has been for many years.

“Our Veterans, staff, visitors and community partners have waited almost 25 years for a parking garage,” said Kathleen Fogarty, the hospital’s new director.  “It couldn’t open soon enough.” 
Currently, the hospital has about 2,181 on-site parking spaces with an additional 400 available at University Mall about three miles from the hospital with shuttle service provided.   However, when the new six story garage opens, the hospital’s on-campus spaces will increase to almost 3,700.

Besides additional parking, these spaces will help ease traffic flow around the crowded campus providing patients, employees and visitors quicker, easier access to the main hospital and outlying facilities.  
 
The garage is Phase I of a major expansion of the hospital’s Polytrauma Center which includes a two-story, 150,000 square-foot addition to be built over the main therapy area of the current Spinal Cord Injury Center.  This new state-of-the-art healthcare center adds 56 beds and will consist of polytrauma and multi-purpose rehabilitation wards.  Scheduled completion of the polytrauma expansion as well as renovation of existing areas is planned for early 2013.