History

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans' Hospital

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital within the VA Bedford Healthcare System was one of the first hospitals established in the country to care for Veterans. The original buildings were completed in May 1928 with the first patient admitted July 17, 1928. The hospital building is named for former Massachusetts Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, co-author of the GI Bill. 

On July 17, 1928, we opened as a neuropsychiatric hospital. Our first Veterans were transferred here from West Roxbury and Brockton VAs and had served in World War 1, the Spanish-American War, and the Civil War. At that time, patients were provided with a “serene environment,” whatever “containment was needed,” and social entertainment from volunteer groups.

The hospital expanded to offer services to women in 1947 due to the efforts of Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers.  Previously known only as “Bedford VA hospital” due to the location, the facility was renamed after Rogers on our fiftieth anniversary in 1978 by presidential proclamation. We are also the first VA medical center in the nation named after a woman. Rogers was a staunch advocate for Veterans and the military who sponsored more than 1,200 bills in her congressional role, half of them focused on Veterans and military issues. Rogers authored legislation that created the Women’s Army Corp and GI Bill of Rights and was instrumental in securing funding to establish a national network of Veterans’ hospitals and other programs that provide aid and assistance to permanently disabled war Veterans.

In November 2012, the hospital and surrounding 177 acres were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, as a healthcare system with a hospital and three community clinics, we continue with our core missions of delivering exceptional long term care and mental health services, serving more than 25,000 Veterans each year.