The VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) provides high quality health care with advanced technologies and a commitment to friendly, compassionate service to more than 228,905 Veterans in the San Diego and Imperial Valley counties. VASDHS offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient health services at the medical center in La Jolla and at the six community clinics located in Chula Vista, Escondido, Imperial Valley, Mission Valley, Mission Gorge Annex, and Oceanside. We provide medical, surgical, mental health, geriatric, spinal cord injury, and advanced rehabilitation services. With an operating budget of $574 million (FY 2012), VASDHS has 296 authorized beds, including skilled nursing beds and operates several regional referral programs including cardiovascular surgery, and spinal cord injury. The facility also supports three Vet Centers in San Diego, Chula Vista, and San Marcos. VASDHS has a comprehensive Seamless Transition Team that provides assistance for returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Veterans.  The OEF/OIF/OND Care Management Team is now providing care and services to over 10,000 Veterans in San Diego and Imperial Counties.  VASDHS is the co-founder of Stand Down, the homeless Veteran program that started in San Diego and has grown to a national program. We are affiliated with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and provide training for 1,504 medical interns, residents and fellows, as well as 82 other teaching affiliations for nursing, pharmacy, dental and dietetics. VASDHS has one of the largest research programs in the VA nationally with a budget of over $ 52 million (FY 2012), 204 principal investigators and 584 projects.

AFFILIATIONS

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
San Diego State University School of Nursing
University of San Diego School of Nursing
University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy
University of Southern California School of Pharmacy
82 other universities, colleges and vocational institutions

AUTHORIZED BEDS

296 Authorized

TYPE OF FACILITY

GM&S

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Specialized diagnostic and medical services:

• Cardiac Catherization & Electrophysiology Laboratory
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Clinical Diabetes Treatment & Research Program
• Neurosurgery
• San Diego Center for Patient Safety
• Mental Illness Rehabilitation, Education and Clinical Center
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program
• Geropsychiatry
• Post Development Clinic for Returning Combat Veterans
• Sleep research
• Alcohol/ Drug Research and Treatment Center
• Research Center for AIDS & HIV Infection
• Hospital Based Primary Care
• Women Veterans Health Clinic
• Pain Management Program
• Hepatitis C Program

Advanced medical technologies:

• Cardiac Catherization & Electrophysiology Laboratory
• Computerized medical record (Computerized Patient Record System)
• Barcode Medication Administration system (BCMA)
• Automated prescription filling system
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanner
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Nuclear Medicine
• Telemedicine
• Robotic Surgery