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At the VA Maryland Health Care System, we’re dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and their families every day.

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About the VA Maryland Health Care System

The VA Maryland Health Care System provides you with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research.  

Health Care and Services

We provide you with health care services at 8 locations serving a 15-county area in central Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Facilities include our Baltimore VA Medical Center, Loch Raven VA Medical Center in Baltimore, and Perry Point VA Medical Center. We also have 6 community-based outpatient clinics in Baltimore, Cambridge, Fort Meade, Glen Burnie, Pocomoke City, and Rosedale. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the VA Maryland health services page.

We are known for providing comprehensive services to Veterans including medical, surgical, rehabilitative, neurological, primary, mental health and long-term care on both and inpatient and outpatient basis. To ensure the provision of quality patient care, we employee a dedicated team of clinical, technical, administrative and support personnel who are specially trained to serve the unique needs of Veterans.

The health care system is proud of its reputation as a leader in Veterans’ health care, research and education and is home to the following specialized clinical and research centers:

The VA Maryland Health Care System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Capitol Health Care Network. We’re an innovative care center within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 5 (VISN 5), which includes medical centers and clinics in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. 

Learn more about VISN 5 

Research and Development

At the VA Maryland 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.

Having one of the largest funded research and development programs in the VA system enhances our ability to provide state-of-the-art care to Maryland’s Veterans and to recruit top-notch health care professionals. Our goal is to use research to promote better health and health care for all. 

Other major areas of research include: 

  • Diabetes 

  • Immunology 

  • Oncology 

  • Virology 

  • Cellular biology 

  • Infectious diseases 

  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) 

  • Neuropsychology 

  • Stroke 

  • Balance training 

  • Cardiovascular diseases 

  • Severe mental illness 

  • Schizophrenia 

  • Epilepsy 

Teaching and Learning

The VA Maryland Health Care System is an academic institution that is committed to training the next generation of health care professionals as a means to improve outcomes for our Veterans.  Every year we train over one thousand health professions trainees in undergraduate medical education, graduate medical and dental education, nursing, associated health, and advanced fellowship training programs. 

We are proud of our partnerships with nearly two hundred academic affiliates nationally that support the educational mission of the VA.  Our primary academic affiliate is the University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Medical Center, but we also maintain close academic partnerships with the Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Midtown Campus, and Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.  Additionally, we directly sponsor internship and residency programs training nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, optometrists, pharmacists, physical therapists, psychologists, registered dieticians, and social workers. 

We are uniquely positioned to offer cutting edge education and research opportunities through our advanced fellowship training programs which are supported by our Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence, and Epilepsy Center of Excellence.  As a high reliability organization we strive to always learn, inquire, and improve through the continuing education of our full time VA health care professionals. 

We engage our staff through a variety of high quality educational resources provided by our Employee Education Section, Medical Library, SimLEARN Certified Simulation Center, and formal leadership development programs. 

Accreditations and Achievements

Our facilities and programs have received accreditation from: 

  • The Joint Commission 

  • Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities 

  • College of American Pathologists 

  • Long Term Care Institute 

  • American Association of Blood Banks 

  • American College of Surgeons (Commission on Cancer) 

  • Association for Assessment & Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care 

Workload and Statistics

VA Maryland Health Care System Workload

VA Maryland Health Care System Workload
Visitors Fiscal Year 19 Fiscal Year 20 Fiscal Year 21 Fiscal Year 22
Visitors Outpatient Visits Fiscal Year 19 727,762 Fiscal Year 20 635,867 Fiscal Year 21 737,910 Fiscal Year 22 665,190
Visitors Veterans Served Fiscal Year 19 54,528 Fiscal Year 20 53,109 Fiscal Year 21 53,439 Fiscal Year 22 54,762

VA Maryland Health Care System Resources

VA Maryland Health Care System Resources
VAMHCS Resources FY 19 FY 20 FY 21 FY 22
VAMHCS Resources Total Employees FY 19 3,798 FY 20 4,127 FY 21 3,709 FY 22 3,775
VAMHCS Resources Total Community Volunteers FY 19 769 FY 20 537 FY 21 307 FY 22 355
VAMHCS Resources Total Community Volunteer Hours FY 19 90,556 FY 20 38,826 FY 21 4,595 FY 22 22,674

VA Maryland Health Care System Inpatient Beds by Facility

VA Maryland Health Care System Inpatient Beds by Facility
Bed Location Total Beds
Bed Location Total Inpatient Beds for VA Maryland Health Care System Total Beds 579 Beds
Bed Location Baltimore VA Medical Center Total Beds 124 Beds
Bed Location Loch Raven VA Medical Center Total Beds 120 Beds
Bed Location Perry Point VA Medical Center Total Beds 335 Beds

Veteran Demographics for Fiscal Year 2022

By Gender

Males: 46,242
Females: 8,520

By Age

<25: 292
25-34: 4,325 
35-44: 7,037
45-54: 7,433
55-64: 11,522
65-74: 12,743
75-84: 8,395
84>: 3,015

By Service Era

World War II: 323
Korean: 1,574
Post Korean: 791
Vietnam: 16,584
Post Vietnam: 7,923
Persian Gulf: 27,005
Other: 548

Annual Reports, Newsletters and Publications

Patient Newsletter Summer 2023

Patient Newsletter Fall 2022

Patient Newsletter Summer 2022

Patient Resource Guide

Videos and Public Service Announcements

Click here for a list of Videos and Public Service Announcements produced by the VA Maryland Health Care System