History

Our History

January 17, 1967:  H.R. Bill 2573 was presented to the 90th Congress of the United States authorizing the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to construct a hospital in the Riverside - San Bernardino area.

August 20, 1971:  President Richard Nixon came to Loma Linda with his personal announcement that the hospital would be built.  This announcement came six months after an earthquake leveled VA’s San Fernando hospital killing 44 patients and staff.

June 16, 1974:  Groundbreaking for the facility took place celebrating an investment of $70 million for the land and buildings. 

February 14, 1975:  Congressman Jerry L. Pettis died at the age of 58 in a plane crash.  The Medical Center would become a memorial for the Congressman and was named the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center.

September 25, 1977:  Over 5,000 people attended the Dedication Ceremonies.  At the time of dedication over 200 employees were on duty with the expectation of a total of 1,515 staff and a yearly budget of $32,610,200, once the facility was fully operational.  It would take 15 months to activate the Medical Center.

December 27, 1977:  The first patient was admitted to the facility.  Once activated, the facility had a total of 500 beds including 216 Medical, 164 Surgical, 60 Psychiatric and a 60-bed Nursing Home Care Unit.

October 19 1987:  The Facility dedicated its new 60-bed Nursing Home Care Unit addition.

TODAY:  The Medical Center has served the Veterans’ community for 44 years.   The Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center is part of the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System.  The major bed services are Medicine, Surgery, Behavioral Medicine (formally Psychiatric) and Neurology.  The facility has 159 hospital beds and a 110-bed Community Living Center.

VA Loma Linda Healthcare System is one of the top 50 employers in the Inland Empire; with over 3,299 employees that serve over 76,000 Veterans who entrust their health care needs to the VA. 

Through the years, access to care has been improved by opening five community clinics. These are located in Corona, Murrieta, Palm Desert, Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville. Blythe Telehealth Clinic was open in 2010. In 2016 the VA Loma Linda opened a Ambulatory Care Center.