About us
At the VA Chicago Healthcare System, we’re dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and their families every day.
About the VA Chicago Healthcare System
The VA Chicago Healthcare 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 6 locations in the Chicago area. Facilities include our Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago and 5 community-based outpatient clinics in Chicago, Chicago Heights, and Crown Point, Indiana. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the VA Chicago health services page.
The VA Chicago Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Great Lakes Network. We’re an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 (VISN 12). VISN 12 includes medical centers and clinics in Wisconsin, Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Research and development
At the VA Chicago 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 research areas include:
- Biomedical laboratory research and development (BLR&D). This includes research that includes the examination of human tissue, blood, or other biological specimens.
- Clinical Science Research and Development (CSRD). This includes human research involving intervention and effectiveness studies.
- Health Service Research and Development (HSR&D). This includes studies of the quality, access, patient outcomes, and costs of health care.
- Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (RR&D). This includes approved rehabilitation research projects to improve the lives of Veterans.
Teaching and learning
Jesse Brown 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 are affiliated with the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine. We offer more than 900 internships and residencies in all major medical specialties and subspecialties. We also provide associated training in nursing, psychology, audiology, social work, dietetics, and pharmacy.
We’re proud of our partnerships with top institutions and organizations that support the educational mission of the VA.
Accreditations and achievements
JBVAMC has achieved a 4-star CMS overall rating in July 2023, climbing from a 2-star rating in 18 months.
- JBVAMC was awarded as the 2020 Leader in Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign and was designated as a leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality in 2020.
- The Mark Wolcott Award for Excellence in Clinical Care Delivery was presented to JBVAMC Physiatrist Dr. Jacqueline D. Neal in 2022 for her contributions in enhancing clinical care.
- JBVAMC's Medical Imaging Service Program Director, Brahamjit Raghav, was awarded the 2022 Chicago Healthcare Executive Forum Service Excellence Award.
- Through exceptional dedication and service, several members of JBVAMC’s Police Team received national recognition in 2022 by receiving the following VA Police Awards: -Heather Mann – awarded as VA Police Chief of the Year -Marianna Brown – awarded as Administrative Support Person (Category 1) of the Year - Officer David Ahlemeyer – awarded as Police Officer (Category 1) of the Year - Sgt. Elton Stevenson – Awarded as Lead Police Officer (Category 1) of the Year
Fast facts
- Our Jesse Brown VA Medical Center has 200 acute care beds.
- We serve 62,000 Veterans who live in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, and 6 counties in northwest Indiana.
- Our main campus was formerly known as West Side VA Medical Center. Congress renamed it in 2004 in honor of Jesse Brown, a Marine Veteran who served as Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 1993 to 1997. Brown grew up in Chicago and graduated from City Colleges of Chicago.
Annual Reports
Newsletters
Jesse Brown Official Social Media Accounts.
These are our Jesse Brown's official VA social media accounts. To see a full list of all VAMC's official social media accounts please visit the digital registry: https://digital.va.gov/web-governance/social-media/social-media-sites/
If you have any concerns whether a site is an official government agency account, you can visit the U.S. Digital Registry; all official government social medial accounts are required to register per Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-17-06.