About Us
At the Amarillo VA Health Care System, we’re dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and their families every day.
About Amarillo VA Health Care System
The Amarillo VA Health Care System provides you with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research.
Health care and services
We provide you with health care services at 5 locations serving northern Texas and eastern New Mexico. Facilities include our Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center in Amarillo and 4 community-based outpatient clinics in Clovis, New Mexico, and Childress, Dalhart, and Lubbock, Texas. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the VA Amarillo health services page.
We offer several specialized programs for Veterans, including a home portable sleep study program and an outpatient substance abuse program. Our Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) manages services in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for Veterans who are blind.
The VA Amarillo Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network. We’re an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17), which includes medical centers and clinics in Texas and New Mexico.
Research and development
At the VA Amarillo Healthcare System, we conduct research to discover knowledge, develop VA scientists and health care leaders, and create innovations that advance health care for Veterans and the nation. We offer Veterans the opportunity to participate in and benefit from our work. Our goal is to use research to promote better health and health care for all.
Major areas of research include:
- Nuclear medicine
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Substance abuse
Teaching and learning
The Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of health services for Veterans, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research. We provide professional training in most major medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties.
Our primary affiliation is with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Our other academic affiliates provide allied health care training in fields such as nursing, optometry, and pharmacy. These partners include:
- Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy
- Northeastern State University School of Optometry
- West Texas A&M University
- Amarillo College
We’re proud of our partnerships with top institutions and organizations that support the educational mission of the VA.
Fast facts
Our hospital was built in 1939 and opened in 1940.
- We serve more than 25,000 Veterans each year.
- Our hospital maintains a 55-bed acute care unit for general medical use, surgery, and intensive care.
- We provide geriatric and extended care in our 120-bed nursing unit.
- Our hospital is named for Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Creek, who served during the Vietnam War. Raised in Amarillo, Creek was killed in combat at age 18. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor
Accreditations and achievements
Our facilities and programs have received accreditation from The Joint Commission.