Stories | VA Bay Pines Health Care

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is looking toward the future of health care by championing opportunities for Veterans to be part of high-quality clinical trials that could lead to innovative results for Veterans receiving health care today and those who will enroll in VA health care in the future.

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is continuously working toward becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO). One of the fundamental pillars of an HRO is cultivating a Culture of Safety and the wellbeing of the Veterans we serve remains at the center of that goal.

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System has added another milestone to the organization’s 90-year history by becoming the first healthcare system in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to launch an Occupational Therapy Lymphedema Fellowship.

A man and a woman stand outside on a sunny day, smiling for a picture. The woman is in purple scrubs and the man is in business casual attire.

From experiencing her family’s evacuation out of Saigon, Vietnam, to navigating her career as a woman in uniform, retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Valerie Lavin is no stranger to adversity.

A woman in a black dress and dark hair stands outside smiling for her portrait. Behind her is an old building and the bright blue sky.

The population of women Veterans who entrust Bay Pines VA Healthcare System with their health care needs is growing rapidly, and Bay Pines VA is growing with them.

Four women wearing the same shade of pink, stand together outside and smiling. Behind them is a mural of a woman service member holding her young son.

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System has expanded telehealth services to support Veterans at the Naples VA Clinic.

The staff at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System lie at the core of exceptional patient outcomes. Within that core, is one of the facility’s many certified peer support specialists, SHiRL Selah-Wrenn.

Ms. SHiRL Selah-Wrenn serves as a peer support specialist as part of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell knows all about a legacy of service. The twice deployed Vietnam Veteran served 24 years on active duty; he’s a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame, and one of the 3,517 Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

A man in formal dress is poses for his portrait. Around his neck is the Medal of Honor.

The ongoing work by Bay Pines VA Healthcare System to support Veterans experiencing homelessness has propelled the organization to a No. 7 national ranking with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Arguably, no one knows the importance of the adage ‘the eyes are the windows to the soul’ better than optometrists.

A man in a white lab coat stands smiling in an optical exam room.