Abie Abraham

WASHINGTON — VA Butler Healthcare is one step closer to having an official name for its new health center in Center Township.

A resolution that would officially name the new center after World War II veteran Abie Abraham passed the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous support Monday evening, following floor remarks from Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd.

The bill would name the center the Abie Abraham VA Clinic.

Abraham, who died in 2012, was a World War II hero and prisoner of war who survived the Bataan Death March and spent 2½ years helping to identify and return the bodies of American soldiers killed in the Pacific Theater.

After returning home Abraham volunteered at VA Butler Healthcare for 23 years, from 1988 to 2011, and logged 36,851 service hours helping to care for fellow veterans.

In his remarks, Kelly called Abraham a hero on and off the battlefield.

“His sole purpose in life was to help other American citizens, to help other veterans, to bring a little light to their life,” Kelly said.

The new center is a 168,000-square-foot facility on North Duffy Road, and is valued at $163 million over a 20-year lease term with developer Cambridge Healthcare Solutions.

It is expected to open later this year, and will replace the VA system's current headquarters on West New Castle Road in Butler Township.

The bill now moves on to the U.S. Senate, where it is widely expected to pass and be signed into law this year.