About us

About the Fargo VA Health Care System 

The Fargo VA Health Care System provides Veterans and their families with innovative health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research. We offer access to a wide variety of health care specialists, procedures, and tests, to include the following:

Audiology, Bariatric Services, Cardiology, Caregiver Support Program, Chiropractic-Pain Service, Community Living Center, Dentistry, Dermatology, Dialysis, Ear/Nose/Throat, Emergency Department, Endocrine, General Surgery, GI Endoscopy, Hematology, Home-based Primary Care, Homeless Programs and care teams, Hospice and Palliative Care, Hospitalists, Imaging, Infectious Disease, Infusion Center, Intensive Care Unit, LGBTQ+ Care, Medical Foster Home Program, Medical-Surgical Inpatient Unit, Mental Health Inpatient Unit, Mental and Behavioral Health, Nephrology, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology and Optometry, Orthopedics, Pain Clinic, Pharmacy, Physical Medicine, Podiatry, Primary Care, Pulmonary, Rheumatology, Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Walk-In Clinic, Whole Health, Women’s Health, Wound Clinic

Health care and services

We provide you with health care services at 12 locations across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

North Dakota locations: Fargo VA Medical Center, Fargo VA Community Resource and Referral Center, Grand Forks VA Clinic, Bismarck VA Clinic, Minot VA Clinic, Williston VA Clinic, Dickinson VA Clinic, Grafton VA Clinic, Devils Lake VA Clinic, Jamestown VA Clinic

Minnesota locations: Bemidji VA Clinic, Fergus Falls VA Clinic

The Fargo VA Health Care System is continually innovating as evidenced by our many improvement and expansion projects. In recent years, the Fargo VA Health Care System has opened several new and expanded clinics and departments, to include:

• New Imaging department with new state-of-the art equipment.
• New Community Living Center with 38 private rooms, large recreation and dining atriums, and beautiful views of the Red River.
• New Primary Care clinic space with 30 additional exam rooms.
• New Laboratory.
• New Intensive Care & Dialysis Unit.
• New Emergency Department.
• New VA Clinics in Bemidji, Grafton, Minot, Dickinson, and Williston.
• New Community Resource and Referral Center in downtown Fargo.
• New main entrance and lobby.
• New Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech, and Prosthetics space.

To learn more about the services each location offers, and the services our mobile clinic provides, visit the VA Fargo health services page.

The Fargo VA Health Care System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Midwest Health Care Network, which includes health care systems in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Learn more about the VA Midwest Health Care Network.

Research and development

At the Fargo VA Health Care 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: 

• Global analysis of short RNA fragments
• Association between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and bacterial pneumonia
• Battlefield acupuncture
• Maternity care coordination
• Impact of statins on influenza vaccine effectiveness
• Acute respiratory distress
• Blood glucose variability and diabetes outcomes
• Effects of calcium channel blockers (CCB) on blood pressure variability
• Genomic profiling of cancerous tissues

We also participate in ongoing national and regional research projects, like: 

Women’s Health Research Network – Supports researchers conducting women Veterans' health studies and promotes the inclusion of women Veterans in research.

Million Veteran Program – Promotes genomic (human gene) and health discoveries.

Dakota Cancer Collaborative on Translational Activity – Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work with researchers and medical providers in the Dakotas to better understand cancer and its causes and to develop effective treatments for the disease. 

Teaching and learning

Our Fargo VA Medical Center is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.  Our residents receive training in many medical specialties and subspecialties, including internal medicine, psychiatry, and surgery.  We also offer associated health training in nursing, social work, dietetics, and pharmacy.

Our primary affiliation is with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, but we also partner with other universities and professional schools throughout the United States.  We’re proud of our partnerships with top institutions and organizations that support the educational mission of the VA.

Fast facts

• The Fargo VA Health Care System provides health care to more than 34,000 Veterans living in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.
• The Fargo VA Health Care System is a Joint Commission accredited medical/surgical hospital with 36 acute care beds, a 38 bed Community Living Center, Primary Care and Specialty Medicine Clinics, 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics, and one Community Resource Referral Center.
• The Fargo VA Health Care System is a leader in virtual care services and telehealth. Modalities include Clinical Video Telehealth, VA Video Connect, Store & Forward of images, Home Telehealth, Secure Messaging, and Electronic Consults. 90% of our Primary Care and Mental Health providers use telehealth. Virtually all specialists offer visits through telehealth. Veterans consistently score our telehealth services 4-5 on a 5-point scale. Benefits include convenience, reduced travel time, and greater access to a vast array of services.
• The Fargo VA Health Care System is one of 65 VA facilities across the nation that participate in the Women's Health Practice-Based Research Network, which is dedicated to improving the health of women Veterans. A full range of services are available including mental health, primary care, specialty care, and Gynecology. Designated Women’s Health primary care providers are available at all our sites.
• The Fargo VA Health Care System was selected as a local site for the Million Veteran Program (MVP), joining a national team of more than 60 VA facilities. The MVP promotes genomic (human gene) and health discoveries.
• The Fargo VA Health Care System is a leader in Whole Health. Whole Health is designed to help Veterans achieve and maintain their best health and well-being. Our Whole Health team empowers Veterans to begin developing their personalized health plan shaped around what matters to them most, equips them with the tools and support they need to proactively care for their health, and treats them with complementary and integrative health modalities with clinicians trained in developing healing relationships with their patients. 

• The Fargo VA Health Care System was ranked #9 in the nation for VA Best Places to Work Survey in 2020 -- ranked #4 in the nation in 2019.

• In 2020, the Fargo VA Health Care System won the National Excellence in Patient Experience Award for top in Patient Experience among all VA facilities of comparable complexity. The award is based on high performance in several categories, including patient experience and Veteran trust. Fargo VA’s trust score is 92%.

• The Fargo VA Health Care System was selected as one of three sites in the VA Midwest Health Care Network as a High Reliability Organization flagship. High Reliability Organizations provide sustained high-quality, zero-harm healthcare to their patients on a long-term basis.

Accreditations and achievements 

Our facilities and programs have received accreditation from:

• The Joint Commission
• Additional Joint Commission Accreditation for Hospital Long Term Care and Home Care
• Laboratory accreditation through the College of American Pathologists
• Research program accreditation through the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs
• Office of Inspector General Combined Assessment Program
• Office of Inspector General Community-Based Outpatient Clinic
• Cancer Program accreditation through the Commission on Cancer
• Blood Bank accreditation through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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