History

VA Iowa City Healthcare System 

The Iowa City VA Hospital opened its doors on March 3rd of 1952, amidst the back drop of the ongoing Korean War and influx of veterans who served our country at that time. We were able to accommodate 500 inpatient beds and boasted one of only a few total surgical suites in the area. As a teaching hospital, we were affiliated with our neighboring health care system, the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics (UIHC), a partnership that has continued to this day. The Iowa City VA Hospital itself was one of the largest public buildings in Iowa when it opened, its 15 stories sprawling over a 300,000 square foot campus. Over the next 70 years, VA services would extend beyond the immediate Iowa City area into the eastern Iowa and western Illinois communities in all directions, developing into the Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS). This includes 10 total Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCS) that provide primary care, specialty services and behavioral health programs to Veterans throughout our wide catchment area. It also encompasses a wide range of programs available to special interest populations such as the LGBTQA+ and homeless communities. We are also one of only three VA hospitals that offers a kidney transplant program. The ICVAHCS has a long, proud history in research and innovation. Its research program has been active for over 50 years and has consistently been one of the top VA facilities nationwide in terms of VA and non-VA research funding. Specialized areas of research expertise include infectious diseases, immunology, transplantation, dermatology, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and diabetic disease. Other patient-focused research includes clinical trials that explore new treatments for cancer, kidney, and liver diseases. In response to the needs of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans, our investigators have developed new projects to understand better ways to manage patients with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. The research program maintains a strong collaboration with the Iowa City VA Research Foundation and the University of Iowa. We continue to aggressively pursue new investigators and ensure relevance to the VA mission to maintain our success.