Long Beach’s VA campus has opened a 120-bed Community Living Center designed to make skilled nursing feel less like a hospital ward and more like a neighborhood. The new facility gives veterans private rooms, communal living areas, patios and access to care ranging from rehabilitation to hospice.
At the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, the building follows the Veterans Affairs small-house model, with kitchens, a chapel, a beauty salon and a barber shop, according to Spectrum News. It is also triple the size of the 1960s-era facility it replaces, swapping shared rooms for private ones.
A Nursing Home Built Around Neighborhoods
The 181,350-square-foot center is divided into 10 residential neighborhoods, each with its own dining area, kitchen, lounge and quiet room, the Long Beach Post reports. The $189 million project broke ground in 2019 after years of planning, and residents and staff began moving into the new building in late June.
The facility is still being phased in, operating at about 40% capacity while administrators work toward filling all 120 beds by 2028. Once fully operational, it will provide supervised nursing care, rehabilitation, hospice services, respite care and specialized support for veterans with dementia.
Community Living Centers are VA nursing homes intended for both short-term recovery and longer stays, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency says the centers provide 24-hour skilled nursing, restorative care and social work, with some locations also offering mental health recovery, dementia care, respite care and hospice.
More Space For Rehab, Hospice And Recovery
Long Beach’s new center is built for veterans recovering after hospitalization who may need physical or occupational therapy, complex wound care or additional time to finish intravenous antibiotics, Marina told Spectrum News. The added capacity can also help the main hospital discharge patients who no longer need acute care but are not ready to go home.
The center is already home to veterans receiving hospice care, including Vietnam veteran Bill Jimenez, who said the building feels like it belongs to the people it serves. The Long Beach Post also noted that the facility includes a gym, activity rooms, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a beauty salon and a dedicated dementia unit.
The design reflects a broader VA effort to make long-term care more personal and less institutional. The agency says its Community Living Centers are meant to resemble home as much as possible, with activities, family-friendly visiting spaces and a mission focused on restoring each veteran to the highest possible level of well-being.
