Jeffrey A. Soots

Jeffrey A. Soots was appointed Acting Executive Director for the Columbia VA Health Care System (CVAHCS) in November 2025.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Soots served as the CVAHCS Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer since November 2016.

The Columbia VA Health Care System is a major Level 1b teaching hospital delivering comprehensive care to Veterans across South Carolina. Established in 1932, the health care system operates a 97-acre medical center in Columbia and seven community-based outpatient clinics located in Anderson, Florence, Greenville, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, Sumter, and York counties. The system serves 36 of South Carolina’s 46 counties, providing care to more than 95,000 Veterans annually within a catchment area of approximately 292,000.

CVAHCS delivers a full continuum of care, including primary, tertiary, and long-term services—in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, cardiology, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics, and rehabilitation. The system is accredited by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and the College of American Pathologists, and has consistently achieved successful reviews from The Joint Commission and the Long-Term Care Institute.

Under Mr. Soots’ operational leadership, the Columbia VA manages a $1.2 billion annual budget, a workforce of more than 3,000 personnel, and over 1.4 million outpatient appointments each year. 

As Chief Operating Officer, he provides executive oversight for Engineering, Fiscal, Logistics, Business Office, Prosthetics, Safety, Emergency Management, Privacy/Freedom of Information, and Strategic Planning Services, ensuring operational readiness, fiscal stewardship, and the delivery of world-class Veteran healthcare.

Mr. Soots has played a pivotal role in advancing Columbia’s modernization and infrastructure expansion. Recent accomplishments include the construction of four new Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, the opening of a state-of-the-art 16-suite Fisher House, and the activation of new pain management and robotic surgery programs, with over 700 successful robotic gynecologic and orthopedic cases completed to date. 

He also oversaw the successful implementation of a $45 million Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) upgrade, the reopening and expansion of the Warrior’s Walk hospice unit, and the launch of the Medical Companion Program to improve transportation and continuity of care for Veterans. His leadership in process improvement and strategic planning generated a $6.6 million return on investment in FY25.

Recognized for his exceptional performance and service to Veterans, Mr. Soots was selected as one of only two VISN 7 executives to attend the prestigious Federal Executive Institute (FEI) Leadership for a Democratic Society in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also presented to the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) on “Leveraging Technology to Maximize Safety in Complex Healthcare Settings.”

A native of Lenoir, North Carolina, Mr. Soots is a U.S. Air Force veteran with more than 38 years of healthcare and administrative leadership experience. He earned his degree from Hawaii Pacific University and continues to dedicate his career to strengthening systems that serve those who served our nation.