Presented by McDonald’s, I’m Lovin’ It!
Chillicothe, OH — This year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) commemorates 75 years of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Originally established in 1946 as the Department of Medicine & Surgery to care for Veterans returning from World War II, VHA has evolved to meet the unique challenges and care needs of Veterans from every era and at every stage of their lives.
“As we celebrate this historic milestone, we are presented with an opportunity to look back on the Chillicothe VA’s contributions to Veteran health care as part of VHA’s 75-year history,” said Dr. Kathy Berger, Medical Center Director. “It is also a fitting occasion to recognize the extraordinary efforts of Chillicothe VA staff and volunteers, especially this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, a testament to our providing Veterans with efficient, quality health care.”
Since opening in 1924, the Chillicothe VA has made vast and wide-reaching contributions as part of VHA’s rich 75-year history to improve the health of Veterans and the entire nation by providing services and technologies that have changed the way health care providers across the country practice medicine.
Some of the Chillicothe VA’s most notable local contributions include:
- The Chillicothe VA was the first VA Medical Center to use green technology as a primary energy source for fueling facility power with the construction of a Biomass Energy Plant in 2011.
- 2,040 health care providers have received medical training at this facility since 2013, including 36 graduates of the Professional Psychology Internship program. The skills and knowledge these health care providers learn from VHA are implemented in hospitals and clinics across the country.
- VHA leads the nation in telehealth services with over 6,900 Veterans using these services at the Chillicothe VA and increasing telehealth by 51% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chillicothe VA leads the region with 80% of the providers trained in telehealth services.
- An active partnership is maintained with the Wright-Patterson AFB Medical Center (WPMC) to provide inpatient, outpatient and surgical procedures for Veterans and Active Duty Service Members. WPMC provided 28 different inpatient and outpatient specialty services for an average of 3,000 Veterans per year, utilizing excess capacity and shared staffing, realizing over a million dollars in cost savings. This successful collaboration has resulted in increased access and timely appointments, high patient satisfaction, and efficient stewardship of federal funding.
For more information about VHA’s 75th anniversary, visit https://www.va.gov/vha-history/.
