About us

At the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, we’re dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and their families every day.

About the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare 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 17 locations in northeast Ohio. Facilities include our Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and 12 community-based outpatient clinics in Akron, Calcutta, Canton, Lorain, Mansfield, New Philadelphia, Parma, Ravenna, Sandusky, Warren, Willoughby, and Youngstown. We also operate 5 medical mobile units in the Cleveland area to provide care to Veterans who can’t easily visit one of our facilities. To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the VA Northeast Ohio health services page.

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center operates several Centers of Excellence, including:

Open heart surgery
Geriatric evaluation and management
Substance abuse care
Domiciliary care for Veterans who are homeless
Medical care for Veterans who are homeless
Care for Veterans who are seriously mentally ill
Spinal cord injury care
HIV care

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is a leading health care system and innovative care center in the Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 (VISN 10), which includes medical centers and clinics in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Learn more about VISN 10

Research and development

At Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, 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.

We operate 2 Research Centers of Excellence for Veterans who suffer from limb loss, sensory and motor issues, and other loss of function of the nervous system. The Advanced Platform Technology (APT) Center performs research and development of prosthetic and orthotic devices, health monitoring and maintenance, and nerve system interfaces. The Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center studies the use of electrical currents to rehabilitate the nervous system and produce treatment for Veterans that fosters independence and improves quality of life.

We are currently conducting about 220 research projects at our medical center. Major areas of research include:

Biomedical research
Health services research
Clinical and cooperative studies
Rehabilitation research
Nursing
Infectious disease
Autoimmune disorders and rheumatology
Cardiology
Hypertension
Diabetes
Pulmonary diseases
Surgery
Hematology and oncology
Kidney disease
Neurology and eye diseases
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Urology
Spinal cord injury
Stroke rehabilitation
Schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders

Teaching and learning

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of health services for Veterans, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.

We operate two Education Centers of Excellence in primary care education and patient-centered specialty care education.

Our primary academic affiliations are with Case Western Reserve University and Ursuline College (Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing). We have 250 academic affiliations with 75 education institutions, and we train more than 1,960 health care students each year.

We’re proud of our partnerships with top institutions and organizations that support the educational mission of the VA.

Fast facts

Our hospital overlooks Rockefeller Park and is next to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, cultural gardens, Case Western Reserve University, and Severance Hall.
Our hospital has 673 operational beds.
We operate more Centers of Excellence than any other VA health care system in the nation.
On any given day, Northeast Ohio health care performs 7,982 outpatient appointments, 1,538 primary care appointments, 5,011 specialty care appointments, and 1,433 mental health appointments. We fill 12,938 prescriptions, perform 243 home care visits, and serve more than 1,600 meals.
Our hospital was named in 1978 for Louis Stokes, who was born and reared in Cleveland and served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. After practicing law for 15 years, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years.
Our VA outpatient clinic in Mansfield was named for Army Pfc. David F. Winder, a combat medic in the Vietnam War. On May 13, 1970, he sustained mortal wounds while attempting to reach several wounded comrades through intense enemy fire. He received the Medal of Honor and is buried in Mansfield Memorial Park.

Accreditations and achievements

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System has received accreditation from the Joint Commission for our hospital, long-term care, home care, methadone treatment, advanced inpatient diabetes care, and behavioral health programs. Our facilities and programs also have received accreditation from:

American Diabetes Association
American Association of Diabetes Educators
American College of Surgeons
American College of Radiology (Oncology)
College of American Pathology
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
Human Rights Campaign
American Psychological Association
ALS Association Northern Ohio Chapter
American Board of Physical Therapy Residency Fellowship Education
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International
Anticoagulation Forum Center of Excellence Certification
Coalition on Ministry in Specialized Settings (Pastoral Care)
Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System received the following awards:

Under Secretary’s Award in Substance Abuse
Under Secretary’s Award in Cardiac Surgery
Under Secretary’s Award in Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
Under Secretary’s Award in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Services
American Heart Association, Get with the Guidelines Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Community Impact Award
Practice Green Health Partner for Change Award, 2018

VANEOHS is a Nursing Shared Governance Accredited Organization

Our nursing shared governance model consists of eight councils that work collaboratively with the Unit Practice Councils and Nurse Leadership Councils to provide structure and direction on the provision of nursing at all levels and in all practice areas. This is an evidence-based model founded on the cornerstone principles of partnership, equity, accountability, and ownership. It requires the active participation of direct care professional nurses in shared decision making on nursing practice issue. The Unit Practice Councils provide the forum for the unit-level professional practice issues. The shared governance councils provide the structure for decision-making across practice areas.

Annual reports and newsletters

Veterans Affairs Welcome Kit

Whether you're just getting out of the service, or you've been a civilian for years, the VA Welcome Kit can help guide you towards the benefits and services you've earned. See our toolkit for important information and links to help get you started!