Health services

We assess your situation and condition to decide which outpatient geriatric services are right for you or a senior Veteran in your care, and then we coordinate your care. Our team of specialists provides geriatric services that include:

• Medicine and nursing
• Psychology, psychiatry, and social work
• Physical and occupational therapy

Learn more about VA long-term care

Care we provide at VA Bedford

Our pharmacy provides you and other Veterans with convenient, efficient service to make it easy to get your medications and medical supplies. You can:

• Pick up new prescriptions in person
• Refill prescriptions online and by phone or mail
• Safe disposal of medicines

Learn more about our pharmacy

Your VA primary care provider will work closely with you to plan for all the care you need to stay healthy and well throughout your life, including immunizations and vaccinations. They will also work with family members or caregivers who support you.

A strong network of family and internal medicine specialists and services can offer you the best possible care. Internal medicine doctors (internists) prevent, diagnose, and treat adult diseases. Doctors who specialize in family medicine provide primary health care to the entire family. Your primary care team can coordinate the many services you receive such as:

• Annual exams
• Initial diagnoses
• Preventive care
• Patient and family health education
• Labs and blood work
• Women's health care
• Radiology (services provided on the main hospital campus)
• Telehealth

Except for medical emergencies, primary care is provided only through scheduled appointments.

Patient Care Line

The Patient Care Line is a very important part of primary care, providing ready access to the primary care team. Patients may use this system to communicate with the team, receive clinical advice or answers to questions, request renewal of medications, and to make, change, or cancel a clinic appointment. All patients enrolled in primary care have access to this service.

To reach the Patient Care Line, call 800-838-6331-- available 24/7.

• Press 1 for the automated Pharmacy refill line
• Press 2 to make, change, or cancel an appointment or to leave a message for your care team
• Press 3 for Eligibility
• Press 4 for Billing

We provide immediate, walk-in care for minor injuries and non-emergency illnesses that are not life-threatening but need early attention.

Care we provide at VA Bedford health care

Our urgent care clinic offers walk-in health care when you need help right away, but it isn't an emergency.  Urgent care does not replace your primary care doctor, but we can help you when you need to see a health care professional right away. Medical conditions treated include:

• Colds, flu, and strep throat
• Sinus, ear, and eye infections
• Minor injuries and muscle strains
• Rashes and skin infections

Learn more about urgent care services

We offer women’s health services to meet your specific needs such as disease screenings, mental health treatment, recovery from military sexual trauma, maternity care and female-specific medical equipment.

Our women's health program offers complete health care for women Veterans of all ages. Our primary care providers specialize in women’s health. They work closely with specialists in gynecology, obstetrics, female urology, oncology, medicine, radiology, surgery, and breast illness. Our services for women Veterans include:

• Ultrasounds, mammograms, Pap and HPV tests
• Mental health care and counseling
• Lifestyle wellness services
• Menopause treatment, including hormonal therapy
• Family planning, contraceptive care, and infertility evaluation

Connect with a care coordinator

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator.

We help Veterans on their recovery journey through outpatient and inpatient services. Our residential facility helps Veterans deal with substance abuse, homelessness, mental health, and unemployment through its 24-hour therapeutic and educational programs like:

• Rehabilitation
• Health maintenance
• Community support

Learn more about our VA treatment programs

Care we provide at VA Bedford

Our medical center and clinics provide consultation, evaluation, and treatment for a range of issues that may impact your mental health or emotional well-being. Our confidential outpatient services include individual and group therapy for:

• Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression
• Marriage and relationship problems
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety, addictive behaviors, and personality disorders
• Aggressive or self-harming behaviors

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

We offer care for military sexual trauma in our mental (behavioral) health clinics. Military sexual trauma refers to sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other threatening, offensive, or unwanted sexual advances, activities, or remarks that you experienced in the military. Our goal is to help you improve your quality of life with strategies to manage emotions and memories related to your military sexual trauma. Our services include:

• Counseling
• Psychiatric care
• Walk-in care

Connect with a care coordinator at 781-687-3226.

Learn more about military sexual trauma

If you’re struggling with a mental health problem—or just need to talk with someone—we can help. We offer treatment and support such as therapy, alternative treatments and medications when needed.

Our psychology teams offer consultation, evaluation, and treatment to help with a range of mental and behavioral health problems like:

• Depression (including sadness and grief), anxiety (including worry and nervousness), and personality disorders
• Addictive behaviors and substance abuse
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and combat-related stress disorder
• Emotional issues like anger management and relationship challenges
• Confused thinking, memory problems, and invasive thoughts or ideas
• Aggressive or self-harming behaviors

Care we provide at VA Bedford

• Suicide prevention care coordinators
• Suicide prevention case managers
• Gun safety locks

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Care we provide at VA Bedford 

• Hearing and balance evaluations
• Hearing aid selection, management, and repair, and assistive listening device assessments
• Evaluation, programming, and management for cochlear implants and bone-anchored implants
• Auditory processing evaluations and treatment
• Speech pathology services that help with speech, language, fluency, voice, cognitive communication, swallowing, stuttering, and laryngectomy

Learn more about VA hearing aids

Our low vision outpatient clinic can assess your needs and provide a rehab plan tailored to your personal goals. Our team of specialists and social workers will work with you to find the right aids and services. Our clinic services include:

• Comprehensive eye exams
• Visual skills assessments
• Guidance on how to develop visual motor and perceptual skills
• Training to help you manage daily activities with your vision loss

• COVID-19 vaccines for eligible Veterans and staff

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines at VA Bedford

Care we provide at VA Bedford health care

Chiropractic care can improve and maintains your function, activity, and health. We work with your primary care doctor and other specialty care providers to provide a complete health care plan for you. We offer many chiropractic treatments, such as: 

• Spinal manipulative therapy or articular mobilization to introduce passive motion to the joints, decrease muscle hypertonicity, and promote short-term pain reduction by increasing range of motion and decreasing stiffness
• Soft-tissue mobilization, which uses gentle pressure or massage to relax tense muscles, reduce scar tissue, and stretch connective tissue
• Therapeutic exercise and active rehabilitation to address posture, stretch, and strengthen muscles
• Lifestyle recommendations such as diet, exercise, smoking, and weight loss
• Education on self-management and body mechanics/ergonomics

We also offer several Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) therapies:

Acupuncture

• Acupuncture uses needles at specific points on the body to alleviate pain and treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions
• Licensed acupuncturists work with primary care and other providers to create personalized healthcare plans
• Several types of treatments are offered such as manual and electro acupuncture, various needling techniques and adjunct treatments such as cupping and gua sha
• Diet and nutrition as well as exercise recommendations may also be part of the healthcare plan provided by your acupuncturist

Dry needling

• Acupuncture technique use for the management of myofascial and musculoskeletal pain
• Provided by licensed acupuncturist, medical doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists 

To access care, ask your Primary Care team for a referral.

Our laboratories provide a full range of clinical and diagnostic testing services. We offer: 

• Study of blood, urine, and other bodily fluids for illness management
• Testing for infectious diseases
• Autopsy services

MOVE! is a weight-management program designed to help you live a longer, healthier life. With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can eat a healthier diet, get more exercise, reduce your health risks, and improve your quality of life. The MOVE! program offers:

• Weight-loss support groups to help you lose weight and keep it off
• Healthy eating tips and cooking classes
• Behavioral change strategies to help you live a healthier lifestyle

Learn more about MOVE!

Our nutrition experts work closely with you and your care team to help with your nutrition and health concerns to help you stay as healthy as possible.

Care we provide at VA Bedford health care

We offer information, resources, and counseling on:

• Cardiovascular and heart health
• Chronic kidney disease, diabetes (including gestational diabetes)
• Eating disorders
• Gastrointestinal health
• Women’s health nutrition
• Weight management

Learn more about Nutrition and Food Services at VA Bedford health care.

Our palliative and hospice care services support you and your family as you cope with a life-threatening or terminal illness. Palliative care works to provide comfort, reduce suffering, and improve the quality of life for patients being treated for serious illnesses. Hospice care focuses on helping patients with terminal illnesses to manage the final stages of their lives. Our palliative and hospice care services include:

• Pain and symptom management
• Emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial support for you and your family
• Help with practical issues that include an advance directive (living will), health care power of attorney, funeral arrangements, and applying for VA death and burial benefits
• Education to help you and your family make informed health care decisions and know what to expect as your health declines
• Bereavement care to help surviving family members during the grieving process

Connect with a care coordinator at 781-687-2000, ext. 2770

Physical therapy, occupational therapy and kinesiotherapy can help restore movement and function if you have been disabled by injury or disease.

If you’re living with or recovering from an injury, illness, or chronic condition that limits your mobility and independence, we can help. Our physical, occupational, and movement therapists combine therapeutic exercise, counseling, education, and training to help you improve your health and quality of life. Our services include:

• Pain relief and joint mobilization
• Movement and exercise therapies to improve your strength, endurance, balance, and coordination
• Mobility assessment and training with wheelchairs, scooters, and walking devices
• Life skills training and activities to help you maintain the highest level of independence and functionality
• Aquatic therapy to manage chronic pain
• Evaluation and treatment for a wide range of medical, orthopedic, psychosocial, and neurological conditions

Our podiatry specialists evaluate and treat a wide range of injuries, diseases and disorders that affect your feet and ankles—from ingrown toenails to inflammation to diabetic foot ulcers.

After years of walking, running, marching, jumping, rappelling, and parachuting, many Veterans experience trouble with their feet and ankles. We can help treat those problems so you can continue to enjoy an active lifestyle. Our podiatry services include:

• Arthritis care for inflamed, swollen, or damaged joints
• Diabetic limb preservation and education along with diabetic shoe management
• Orthotic management
• Injections to reduce pain and swelling
• Foot health maintenance procedures (bunion removal, resurfacing, and nail trimming)

We provide long-term care to help you and your family when you’re dealing with a disability, chronic (long-lasting) illness, terminal illness, or serious health issues related to aging. Our long-term health care services include:

• 24/7 nursing and medical care
• Physical therapy
• Help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, making meals, and taking medicine
• Pain management and palliative care to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for people with serious illnesses
• Hospice care to provide comfort and compassionate care for people in the last phases of an incurable illness
• To learn more about the different types of extended care that VA provides, see our guide to long-term services and support.

Learn more about VA long-term care

If you are trying to quit smoking or want to stop using tobacco, we can help you with support, resources and programs.

You can quit smoking or chewing tobacco. Our goal is to provide support and strategies to add to optional nicotine replacement therapy prescribed by your primary care doctor. These include:

• FDA-approved medications to manage nicotine withdrawal and the urge to smoke.
• Counseling in person or by phone
• Tobacco Cessation Quitline for individual counseling and strategies
• SmokefreeVET text message program for daily advice and interactive support
• Stay Quit Coach mobile app to help you quit smoking and stay smoke-free

Learn more about how to quit and connect with a care coordinator. 

All Veterans enrolled in VA health care can receive a toxic exposure screening at an upcoming appointment or sooner by contacting a Toxic Exposure Screening Navigator. All enrolled Veterans should receive the screening at least once every five years.

If you’re a caregiver for a Veteran, you can get support by contacting one of our caregiver support coordinators. If the Veteran you care for was injured post-9/11, you may be eligible for even more services, including a stipend to help with expenses, training, and medical coverage if you aren’t already covered. For all caregivers, we can:

• Help you get caregiver assistance available through VA
• Provide progressive needs planning to help you manage degenerative conditions
• Match you with services and benefits
• Connect you with local resources and programs
• Listen to you when you struggle

Learn more and connect with a support coordinator

We help Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to financial hardship, unemployment, addiction, depression, or transition from jail. Contact one of our care coordinators to get help with:

• Immediate food and shelter needs, including both transitional and permanent housing
• Job training, life skills development, and education
• Justice system navigation and community reentry from jail
• Financial support to prevent homelessness
• Addiction and depression treatment
• Health and dental care

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is when a current or former intimate partner (like a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse) stalks, harms, or threatens to harm their partner. Intimate partner violence can be emotional, physical, or sexual. It can also lead to short-term and long-term health problems, and a wide range of mental health issues. If you or someone you know is in a potentially abusive or violent relationship, we can help. We offer:

• Intimate partner violence care coordinators
• Links to community-based support groups, and advocacy and legal services
• Referrals to and coordination with other VA treatment providers
• Connection to domestic violence shelters
• Services for Veterans who are homeless
• Interventions for Veterans who use violence in their intimate relationships

To connect with an IPVAP care coordinator, please call 781-687-3998.

Learn more about intimate partner violence

We promote the health, welfare, and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) Veterans and their families. We focus on ensuring a safe, welcoming, and affirmative environment when providing you with sensitive and high-quality health care services like:

• Hormone therapy
• Substance use and alcohol treatment
• Testing and treatment for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI)
• Mental health care
• Psychosocial assessments for gender-confirming surgeries and hormone therapy

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

If you’re a minority Veteran, we can help you get the services and benefits you need. Our Minority Veterans Program serves all Veterans who are Black American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Island Americans). We work to:

• Help the medical center address minority Veterans’ needs
• Meet minority Veterans’ needs in the local community
• Identify barriers and create a more accessible environment for minority Veterans
• Inform minority Veterans of VA benefits, services, and programs

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Care we provide at VA Bedford

Our patient advocates work hard to make sure you receive the best possible care at our health care facilities. They can:

• Help you get answers or address concerns with your care team
• Advocate for patient and family rights
• Serve as advocates for minority Veterans, women Veterans, and Veterans with disabilities
• Offer specialized help to former prisoners of war and Veterans transitioning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND)

Learn more and connect with a patient advocate

We offer a wide range of activities (arts and crafts, games, sports, exercise) that we can adapt to your needs.

Our therapies promote your independence and enhance your health and well-being if you’re a Veteran with an injury, chronic (long-lasting) illness, or disabling condition. After your primary health care provider gives you a referral, a recreation therapist will develop treatment goals for you.

• Recreation and creative arts therapy provides services and activities that include:
• Animal interaction
• Music, art, and crafts
• Community outings
• Exercise, sports, and games
• Gardening and leisure education

If you were exposed to toxic chemicals or other hazards during your military service, we offer you a free exam. This exam helps you identify potential health risks and helps us monitor issues so we can better serve you.

This free, voluntary, and comprehensive health exam involves an exposure and medical history, laboratory tests, and a physical exam. We will discuss your results in a face-to-face meeting and follow up with a letter. The registry evaluation, which does not verify exposure, is separate from VA’s disability compensation process. You may be eligible to participate in one or more of these health registries if you served during these time periods:

• Ionizing radiation (1940s to 1960s)
• Agent Orange (1960s and 1970s)
• Airborne hazards and open burn pit (1990s to present)
• Gulf War (1990s to present)
• Depleted uranium (DU) (1990s to present)
• Toxic embedded fragments/shrapnel (2000s to present)

Learn more about VA Health Registry

Camp Lejeune water contamination health issues

If you have qualifying service at Camp Lejeune and a current diagnosis of one of the qualifying conditions, you may be able to get disability benefits.

Learn more about Camp Lejeune water contamination

If you’re returning from military service, we can help you readjust to civilian life and get started with VA health care. We can also help connect you with programs like mental health services and education and career counseling.

Care we provide at VA Bedford

We can help you readjust to civilian life if you’re returning from military service, on active duty, or an activated National Guard or Reserve member. Talk to one of our care coordinators about how to best use your health care benefits.

• Polytrauma care (if you have multiple traumatic injuries)
• Counseling and rehabilitation
• Mental and behavioral health services
• Family benefits counseling and assistance
• Referral assistance

Learn more and connect with a coordinator

Camp Lejeune water contamination health issues

If you have qualifying service at Camp Lejeune and a current diagnosis of one of the qualifying conditions, you may be able to get disability benefits.

Learn more about Camp Lejeune water contamination

Social work is integral to health care. We can help you and your family manage stress-related problems due to injury or illness, and find VA community resources to meet your needs like:

• Home health services
• Legal services
• Transportation
• Community living

We use the latest in secure digital technology to set up remote visits with our health care providers. We offer video conferencing, home telehealth services, and store-and-forward telehealth that lets you securely send your health information to experts at VA facilities. We offer telehealth visits with providers in:

• Mental health
• Retinal care (eye)
• Bariatric surgery (visit remotely with your weight-loss surgery team before and after your operation)
• Dermatology
• Rehabilitation
• Primary care

Learn more about telehealth

We help Veterans with physical and mental health challenges find and keep jobs. We help you find jobs through our long-term partnerships with business, industry, and government agencies. We offer three services:

• Our transitional work program matches Veteran’s skills with a specific job and provides supervision to help them gain work experience
• Our supported employment program provides long-term support for Veterans with serious mental illnesses or physical disabilities to help them compete for jobs in their communities
• Our vocational assistance program trains Veterans living at our residential facility to improve their job-search and career development skills

Learn more about VA vocational rehabilitation

Whole Health is VA’s approach to care that supports your health and well-being. Whole Health centers around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you. This means your health team will get to know you as a person, before working with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals.

Care we provide at VA Bedford HCS

VA staff and Veteran Peers will support and guide you through the Personal Health Inventory self-assessment and help you create your Personal Health Plan. What matters to you will shape your plan and drive your choice of Well-being programs and Clinical treatments.

• Peer-led Whole Health groups (o)
• Acupuncture (i/o)
• Meditation and Mindfulness (i/o)
• Biofeedback (o)
• Chiropractic care (o)
• Guided Imagery (i/o)
• Tai Chi (i/o)
• Yoga (i)

*i = inpatient

*o = outpatient

(link) Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Whole Health Veteran care

If you are a veteran who is interested in taking charge of their healthcare goals and having active collaboration with your providers, VA Bedford staff are here to help you. Contact a Whole Health team member to get started today.

Connect with a care coordinator

Claire Harris

Whole Health Program Manager

VA Bedford health care

Email: Claire.Harris@va.gov

Other resources

• MOVE! weight management
• Recreation and Creative Arts Therapy
• Chiropractic