About us

About VA Salt Lake City health care

The VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System provides you with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts medical research that improves Veterans’ health.

Health care and services

We provide you with health care services at 11 locations in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada: our George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City and 10 community-based outpatient clinics. Our other health care facilities include:

• Valor House – a 72-room home for Veterans transitioning from “homeless to hopeful”
• Fisher House – a home away from home where Veterans’ families can stay, free of charge, while their loved one receives treatment.

To learn more about the services each location offers, visit the Salt Lake City health services page. 

VA Salt Lake City is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the Rocky Mountain Region. We’re an innovative care center within Health Service Area (HSA) 4.2.

Research and development

The VA Salt Lake Health Care System Research Service is the fourth largest VA funded research program in the nation and is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and all Americans through a full spectrum of biomedical laboratories, clinical trials, rehabilitation and health services experts, and several national centers of excellence.

Teaching and learning

Education is a strong focus at the VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System. Our training programs educate some of the best healthcare providers in the region, including doctors, dentists, podiatrists, nurses and many others. We’re proud of our partnerships with over 60 leading colleges and universities throughout our region and across the United States, including the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake Community College, Westminster College and many others.

Through these relationships we train more than 1,200 students, interns, and residents every year in most major medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. We also offer special fellowship programs in Health Sciences Research, Medical Informatics, Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research, Geriatrics Research plus associated health care training programs in:
 

• Audiology and Speech Language Pathology
• Dental Hygiene
• Dietetics
• Nurse Practitioner (Residency)
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy (Residency)
• Physician Assistant
• Physical Therapy (Residency)
• Podiatry (Residency)
• Psychology (Fellowship)
• Social Work

Fast facts

• In fiscal year 2025, we had  2413 employees and treated  82,360 Veterans.
• Veterans completed  695,144 outpatient visits at our facilities in Fiscal Year 2024.
• Of the Veterans we treated in 2024, 10,881 were women, 42,453 served in the Persian Gulf, 30,015 during the Vietnam War, 1,167 during the Korean conflict, 315 in World War II, and 8,154 post-Vietnam.
• Our fiscal year 2025 operating budget was more than $1.03 billion.
• Our medical center has 121 beds.
• The George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center is 1 of 5 VA heart transplant centers in the United States.
• Our Food pantry was the first in the VA health care system. 

Accreditation and awards

Our facilities and programs have received accreditation from:

• The Joint Commission
• American Psychological Association
• American Society of Health System Pharmacists

The VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System received the following awards:

• 2016 VHA Patient Safety Gold Cornerstone Award for Excellence
• 2016 VA Secretary’s Award for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games

Annual reports and newsletters

Additional reports

VA Salt Lake City staff and community stakeholders are encouraged to review our Storm Water Management Plan and provide feedback. If you have comments or suggestions please reach out: VHASLCGEMS@va.gov