Closing of Veterans Hospital Blocked

A Veterans Affairs restructuring plan that would have closed the Edward P. Boland VA Center in Leeds has been blocked by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, announced the news on Monday.

The 105-acre campus in Leeds, opened in 1923, is one of three VA hospitals across the country that would have closed under the plan.

Both McGovern, whose district includes Northampton, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal strongly opposed closure of the facility, which provides medical care to roughly 21,000 veterans.