“President Biden reminds us that our nation’s ‘most sacred obligation’ is to prepare and equip the troops we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home.

There is no more noble mission in this country than keeping that fundamental promise. And for 75 years now, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has done exactly that.”

Denis McDonough
Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

We invite you to join us as we commemorate VHA’s 75-year legacy of service and to take a look at what will be the future of care.

A new digital publication, “75th Anniversary of the Veterans Health Administration,” tells the story. Published by Faircount Media Group, several VHA leaders have contributed important stories and other content about VHA’s past, present and future.

In this commemorative eBook, you can take an inside look at how the Department of Medicine and Surgery was founded, and how it transformed into the modern Veterans Health Administration.

Discoveries by VHA Research lead the way

Building from our past

VHA historian Katie Delacenserie describes the evolution of VA hospitals: The architecture, look, and footprint of Veterans’ hospitals have changed significantly since the first hospitals opened after the Civil War.

Included is a bullet list timeline of notable chapters in VHA’s history from 1865 to 2021.

VA’s hidden gems

You’ll learn how the nation’s largest health professions trainee program improves quality of care and adds VA’s health care workforce in an article written by VHA’s Office of Academic Affiliations, also celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Learn how the Veterans Canteen Service has provided 75 years of comfort and community. And, there are dozens of photos and stories that tell the story of VHA’s progress through the decades.

The role of our dedicated volunteers is also highlighted, as VA Voluntary Services (now the Center for Development and Civic Engagement) notes its own 75th anniversary.

VHA Research has led the way in numerous medical advancements. Meet some of our quiet (but famous) heroes whose discoveries to treat Veterans have become worldwide standards.

We conclude with ample evidence that the future of VHA health care is bright.

The “75th Anniversary of the Veterans Health Administration” publication is now available online.

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2 Comments

  1. Jim White December 20, 2021 at 15:37

    The VHA in it’s history has earned three Nobel Prizes in medical science! If you won’t write a bio on these amazing achievements…then I will! And I charge Union wages when writing.

    By the way, my PCP I think could earn the fourth award. Jim, playwright, “Einsteins last Equation.”

    Sidebar;

    Further, my humbly army vet salutes to all the VHA teams for healthy holidays and a bright 2022. I will also like to salute my mentor, amazing writer, 11th Airborne Div veteran Rod Sterling, his birthday is December 25th.

  2. Thomas E. Lassek November 28, 2021 at 11:31

    You paint a wonderful picture “of excellence” aimed towards the public at large. However, you fail to add knowledgeable realism, and above all, the truth. If the VA were a “for profit”, based on the application of medicine to a patient, the basic need and requirement of any patient, methinks most probably the VA would flounder immediately then shut its doors in a month. Why is it that a Veteran can reasonably go to any hospital or doctor outside the VA system with complete confidence and by comparison shudder at the mere thought of going to the VA ?? For 36 years I’ve shuddered. Thank God for the Mission Act.

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