Noteboom The Law Firm

Florida’s Newest VA Nursing Home Is In St. Augustine

September 28, 2010 - Florida's newest Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home is located in St. Augustine. It is also Florida's only "green" VA nursing home. Once the doors are opened, it will house 120 veterans. The only thing standing in the way now is passing the final inspection, which is not expected to be a problem.

The Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home cost $31 million to construct. It is Florida's 6th VA nursing home, and the 1st in Northeast Florida. The facility boasts 95,000 square feet and is located in St. Johns County, west of I-95 on Florida 16. There are already 5 veterans waiting to move in, and the home is processing 60 more applications.

In order to qualify for residency in the St. Augustine VA home, veterans must:  

• Have lived in Florida for at least 1 year;
• Have been honorably discharged;
• Have a VA issued certificate of need for skilled nursing care.

The closest home to the new St. Augustine home is located in Daytona Beach. That nursing home, however, cannot handle patients suffering with dementia, which is becoming a much more common condition. Half of the beds in the St. Augustine home are dedicated to veterans diagnosed with dementia.

These beds exist in a secure wing of the facility to prevent patients from walking away. Every room in the building comes equipped with a shadowbox so patients can fill them with their personal belongings which may allow disoriented veterans find their room. The home is designed to look more like a neighborhood than an institution.

The home has a long term plan to treat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, which has become a necessity. The facility will not only help veterans, however, it will bring jobs to St. Augustine.