04.24.12 A local veterans group resumed its efforts to push the former Our Lady of Lourdes hospital site to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a way to fill the need for expanded health services for area veterans.

The federal agency could use the site as a medical complex and provide an array of services beyond primary and specialty health care, such as nursing home or assisted living care, recovery services, and mental and physical rehabilitation, Tom Grote, co-chairman of the Veterans Action Coalition, said Monday.

The regional veterans advocacy group organized two years ago to pitch a veterans hospital for the area with the Lourdes hospital site on St. Landry Street as an ideal location. The hospital moved its operations to south Lafayette last year. When the VA set its goal of expanding the existing Lafayette clinic with additional space and services, the coalition shifted its focus to identifying ideal clinic space and has lobbied for certain specialty services.