Following Advocacy from U.S. Senator Susan Collins, President Signs Bill into Law with Nearly $75 Million for PNSY & $6.9 Million for Portland CBOC

Washington, D.C. — Following advocacy from U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the President signed a bill into law this week that provides $74.9 million for three projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) and $6.9 million for the Portland Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to lease a new facility.

The projects were included as part of the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which was signed into law along with the recent government funding bill. Senator Collins is a senior member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.

The three projects for PNSY include:

• $17.8 million for the consolidation of unaccompanied housing.
• $30.1 million for utility improvements for nuclear platforms.
• $27 million to construct a replacement medical/dental clinic.

“Due to the efforts of its hardworking and highly-trained employees, PNSY is considered the gold standard among our nation’s four public shipyards,” said Senator Collins. “I have long advocated for the Navy to address modernization needs at PNSY and am so pleased that the President has signed a bill into law that provides funding for these three very important project requests. I am particularly pleased to see that $27 million has been approved to replace the medical and dental clinic. That facility is over 100 years old and it does not meet standards for safety or accessibility, nor does it allow a smooth and efficient delivery of services.”

$6.9 Million for the Portland Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to Lease New Facility:

The funding will help facilitate a partnership between the VA Maine Healthcare System, Maine Medical Center, and Tufts University School of Medicine. The consortium would consolidate existing CBOCs in Saco and Portland, enhancing outpatient services by co-locating programs at one site. The new facility would allow VA to continue providing current services while adding select specialty care services, improving the quality of care. Before this funding for the Portland CBOC lease can be spent, it must now be authorized.

“Preserving veterans’ access to the health care they have earned is one of my top priorities,” said Senator Collins. “CBOCs provide an essential service to our veterans by allowing them to receive outpatient care without the stress and difficulty of traveling to larger VA medical centers, which may be located far away from veterans’ homes. This funding will improve the VA’s delivery of outpatient services and specialty care to our veterans in Southern Maine.”