Coatesville VA Medical Center celebrates 95 years of service

Dedicated on May 12, 1931, Coatesville VAMC celebrates its 95th anniversary as America celebrates 250 years of freedom and the Veterans Health Administration celebrates 80 years of service. 

Jennifer Harkins, VA’s interim network director for Veterans Integrated Service Network 4, gave keynote remarks. 

“Originally opened as a facility to care for Veterans suffering from mental and nervous disorders, Coatesville VA has changed over the years,” Harkins said. “Today, 95 years to the day at the same spot, we celebrate, not so much what has changed but what remains the same, and that is VA’s mission to provide Veterans with the best health care possible and uphold President Lincoln’s promise ‘To care for those who shall have borne the battle.’”

The Coatesville VAMC has never stood alone in supporting the Veterans living in the surrounding communities. 

“The success of this medical center would not be possible without the partnerships and community collaboration developed over the past 95 years,” said Harkins. 

She added that Veterans benefit from Coatesville VAMC’s suicide prevention and homeless outreach partners who connect with Veterans in moments of crisis and seek to re-house those who are homeless. Coatesville VAMC trains Veterans as first responders to join the county Veteran Response Teams (VRT). VRTs work to connect Veterans with the programs and services available to them and, when necessary, steer them toward treatment options. 

Guests attending the commemoration were those who have built strong partnerships with the Coatesville VAMC, including members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Marine Corp League, and the Chester County Veterans Affairs. Representatives from Pennsylvania political offices also attended, including Congresswoman Madeline Dean, State Senator Katie Muth, State Representative Dan Williams, and Chester County Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Marian Moskowitz. 

“Two hundred fifty years ago, our nation was founded on an idea—an idea that freedom was worth the fight. And through every generation since, one thing has held this nation together: the men and women who raised their right hands and swore an oath to defend it. Veterans didn’t just protect our democracy, they built it; and many gave everything for it,” said Harkins. 

Since celebrating its 90th Anniversary in 2021, Coatesville VAMC has continued to grow to meet the needs of Veterans including the addition of a centralized outpatient mental health care center in building 4, renovated primary care and geriatric primary care centers in building 2, and a new and larger outpatient clinic in West Norriton. 

Coatesville VA Medical Center continues to improve the care delivered to Veterans and has been rated at the top of 139 VA medical centers for more than three years according to the Mental Health Domain Quality (MHQ) score. The MHQ rating system is part of the Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) Value Model and tracks 36 measures across three categories: Veterans’ initial access to care, continuity and timeliness of follow-up care, and overall Veteran satisfaction.

Michael Hamill, Public Affairs Specialist

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