Stories | VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care

On May 2, 2023, elected officials, dignitaries, community leaders, advocates, Veterans and VA staff gathered at the West LA VA for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate two new permanent supportive housing buildings for formerly homeless Veterans on campus.

At the Veteran’s Garden on the West LA VA campus, getting your hands in the dirt is a therapeutic exercise. After a hiatus, the blossoming space is coming back to life as a healing tool and nutritional resource for Veterans.

Whole Health Program Manager and Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Allen pulls carrots at the Veterans Garden

When President William McKinley visited the National Soldier’s Home on its dedication day in 1901, he would arrive by steam train. That line, later used by the Red Car, would be no more by 1933. That would be the last time the West LA VA campus would be accessible by train. This is soon to change.

On the left, the Streetcar Depot (or Building 66), present day. On the right, a rendering depicts the future West LA VA Purple/D Line station, located adjacent to the VA Medical Center.

Working out – particularly as part of a group – can be a healing experience, says Marine Corps Veteran Raymond Navarro, fitness facilitator and coach at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) on the West LA VA Campus.

Marine Corps Veterans Raymond Navarro (left) and Greg Becker (right) are fitness facilitators and coaches at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) where they help their fellow Veterans enhance their physical and mental health through exercise.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is on a mission to end Veteran homelessness.

Before the West LA VA Medical Center, and before the Department of Veterans Affairs even existed, the West LA VA campus was serving Veterans as the Western Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

At the lush Heroes Golf Course at the West LA VA, Veterans take in the fresh air and the serenity. Instead of the usual "fore," they softly chant "om" with their eyes closed as they engage in a lesson on meditation.

Veterans are lead through a series of exercises at a mindfulness workshop held at the Heroes Golf Course.

Breakfast and lunch are served! For Veterans and employees on the West LA VA campus looking for a morning or midday meal, the Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) in Building 306 has reopened following a renovation, offering enticing new options.

Canteen Chief Kyle Jewell works at the newly revamped PatriotStore/Café in Building 306 where Veterans, visitors and staff on the West LA VA Campus can enjoy fresh-cooked food, cold drinks and an assortment of retail items for purchase.

For Dr. Beverly Haas, working with Veterans is a deeply personal experience. Her mother, a Holocaust survivor, was liberated largely because of the actions of American troops during World War II.

For three decades, Dr. Beverly Haas, mental health lead for the West LA VA’s Domiciliary (DOM), has been dedicated to helping heal Veterans who are dealing with homelessness, mental health or substance abuse issues.

Every morning, the halls of the VA hospital, Los Angeles fill with people. Doctors, nurses and supporting staff head to their departments.

Dr. El-Sherief (left) and Dr. Lau (right) developed RADIOLOGiQ - a free suite of medical iPhone and iPad apps used by doctors and healthcare professionals around the world.