IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1647 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 22, 2010 Mr. Melancon submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs RESOLUTION Urging the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to acquire and utilize the Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, as a full-service Department of Veterans Affairs hospital to better serve veterans throughout the Acadiana region of Louisiana.

Whereas Louisiana veterans, having served the United States with honor and at great personal sacrifice, deserve the best possible medical treatment available; Whereas the residents of Louisiana and the American people owe the security of the Nation to those who have heroically defended it; Whereas over 60,000 veterans currently reside in Louisiana’s Acadiana region; Whereas veterans living in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the surrounding areas must travel more than 180 miles round trip to receive comprehensive medical treatment from a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital; Whereas traveling long distances to receive medical treatment is inconvenient and difficult for many veterans; Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has stated its desire to expand medical services in Lafayette to better serve Acadiana veterans and their families; Whereas the Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, is being vacated in 2011, and this presents an opportunity for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to acquire a prime medical facility; and Whereas a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Acadiana would be a boon to the region’s economy, providing more than 1,300 jobs to residents and veterans: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives strongly urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to acquire and utilize the Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, as a full-service Department of Veterans Affairs hospital to better serve veterans throughout the Acadiana region of Louisiana.