St. Louis VA Medical Center-Jefferson Barracks

VA provides treatment for substance use disorders across the continuum of care, including outpatient services in our Mental Health Clinics, and Two specialty programs are dedicated to serving Veterans recovering from addiction.

• Opioid Addiction Treatment Program (OATP) – Located at John Cochran
  • Provides specialized treatment services for opioid addiction.
• Substance Abuse Rehabilitation and Recovery Treatment Program (SARRTP)- Located at Jefferson Barracks
  • Residential and outpatient intensive care for Veterans recovering from substance use disorders.  Program length is approx. 3 weeks for the residential program and 4 weeks for Intensive Outpatient Program.

Learn more about our VA treatment programs

Our Audiology and Speech Pathology clinic provides diagnostic and rehabilitative services, VA compensation and pension examinations, and screening for employee hearing conservation. We offer a full range of audiology and speech pathology services like:

• Hearing and balance evaluations
• Selection, management, and repair of hearing aids and assistive listening device assessments
• Evaluation, programming, and management of cochlear implants and bone-anchored implants
• Evaluation and treatment for auditory processing disorder
• Services that help with speech, language, fluency, voice, cognitive communication, swallowing, stuttering, and laryngectomy (surgical removal of the larynx, which contains your vocal cords)

Learn more about VA hearing aids

Our low vision outpatient clinic can assess your needs and provide a rehab plan tailored to your personal goals. Our team of specialists and social workers will work with you to find the right aids and services. Our clinic services include:

• Comprehensive eye exams
• Visual skills assessments
• Guidance on how to develop visual motor and perceptual skills
• Training to help you manage daily activities with your vision loss

• COVID-19 vaccines for eligible Veterans and staff

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines at VA

Acute (short-term) or chronic (long-lasting) pain can make it hard to enjoy life, but effective non-pharmacological conservative treatment as a first-line approach can help. Our experts work with you, your primary care physician and specialists to create a plan to help you find ways to manage your pain conditions and improve your quality of life through the Whole Health Transformation.  

Chiropractic care restores improves, and maintains your function, activity, and health. We work with your primary care doctor and other specialty care providers to provide a complete health care plan for you. We offer many treatments, like:

• Spinal manipulative therapy to relieve pressure on your joints, reduce inflammation, and improve nerve function
• Electrical stimulation therapy, which reduces pain by sending mild electrical pulses through your skin to help stimulate injured muscles or manipulate nerves
• Soft-tissue mobilization, which uses gentle pressure or massage to relax tense muscles, reduce scar tissue, or stretch connective tissue

MOVE! is a weight-management program designed to help you live a longer, healthier life. With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can eat a healthier diet, get more exercise, reduce your health risks, and improve your quality of life. The MOVE! program offers:

• Weight-loss support groups to help you lose weight and keep it off
• Healthy eating tips and cooking classes
• Behavioral change strategies to help you live a healthier lifestyle

Learn more about MOVE!

Our medical center and clinics provide consultation, evaluation, and treatment for a range of issues that may impact your mental health or emotional well-being. Our confidential outpatient services include individual and group therapy for:

• Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression
• Marriage and relationship problems
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety, addictive behaviors, and personality disorders
• Aggressive or self-harming behaviors

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

We offer care for military sexual trauma in our mental (behavioral) health clinics. Military sexual trauma refers to sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other threatening, offensive, or unwanted sexual advances, activities, or remarks that you experienced in the military. Our goal is to help you improve your quality of life with strategies to manage emotions and memories related to your military sexual trauma. Our services include:

• Counseling
• Psychiatric care
• Walk-in care

Learn more about military sexual trauma

If you have symptoms of PTSD after a traumatic event, we can help. We offer assessment and treatment support such as private counseling, group therapy and medication. It’s never too late to get help.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. If symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD. This is a specialized multidisciplinary clinic that provides services for Veterans recovering from PTSD. Services are focused, evidence-based practices for PTSD.

We can help you with effective treatments and support services, like:

• Psychiatric and psychological counseling
• Services for Veterans who are homeless
• Treatment for addictive disorders
• Transition and care management for post-9/11 combat Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND)

Learn more about PTSD

Our pharmacy provides you and other Veterans with convenient, efficient service to make it easy to get your medications and medical supplies. You can:

• Pick up new prescriptions in person
• Refill prescriptions online and by phone or mail
• Safely dispose of medicines

Learn more about our pharmacy

Your VA primary care provider will work closely with you to plan for all the care you need to stay healthy and well throughout your life, including immunizations and vaccinations. They will also work with family members or caregivers who support you.

A strong network of family and internal medicine specialists and services can offer you the best possible care. Internal medicine doctors (internists) prevent, diagnose, and treat adult diseases. Doctors who specialize in family medicine provide primary health care to the entire family. Your primary care team can coordinate the many services you receive such as:

• Labs and blood work
• Mental health care
• Women's health care
• Radiology
• Social services
• Telehealth

We provide long-term care to help you and your family when you’re dealing with a disability, chronic (long-lasting) illness, terminal illness, or serious health issues related to aging. Our long-term health care services include:

• 24/7 nursing and medical care
• Physical therapy
• Help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, making meals, and taking medicine
• Pain management and palliative care to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for people with serious illnesses
• Hospice care to provide comfort and compassionate care for people in the last phases of an incurable illness
• To learn more about the different types of extended care that VA provides, see our guide to long-term services and support.

Learn more about VA long-term care

If you have a spinal cord injury or disorder, our specialists provide coordinated care throughout your life. We work to help you achieve your goals for independence, productivity and quality of life.

The VA Saint Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS) Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D) Center has well-established programs dedicated to providing acute rehabilitation and chronic lifelong comprehensive care to Veterans with SCI/D.  The SCI/D Rehabilitation Center consists of a rehabilitation unit at Jefferson Barracks and an acute-care ward at the John Cochran Division. The Saint Louis SCI/D Center serves as a VA SCI specialty referral hub for the Midwest region. The VASTLHCS has affiliations with Washington University in Saint Louis and St. Louis University.

The mission of the SCI/D Rehabilitation Center is to provide outstanding, quality, holistic care to individuals with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) to restore and maintain the highest level of independence and function and provide opportunities to enhance the quality of life.

The SCI/D Rehabilitation Center provides services to individuals 18 years and older who are veterans/active-duty personnel on a lifelong basis with an intense focus on the achievement of the following outcomes:

• Maximizing rehabilitation potential; and community engagement
• Management of chronic pain, spasms, and/or spasticity.
• Management of neurogenic bladder and bowel; and
• Management of sexual and fertility dysfunction.

The SCI/D Rehabilitation Center provides comprehensive integrated inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, as well as sustaining care inpatient services to treat secondary complications from SCI/D. 

The scope of services includes persons who:

• Recently sustained an SCI and requires comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation.
• Have had SCI in the past but have not had the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation.
• Have non-traumatic SCI, such as paraplegia or tetraplegia due to multiple sclerosis or other non-progressive myelopathy who may benefit from rehabilitation.
• Have been previously discharged from the SCI/D Service and have subsequently developed a complication.
• Have had a decline in functional independence and require comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation.
• Have the desire to maximize their rehabilitation status via participation in comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation.
• Are due for an annual evaluation and choose to be admitted for an intensive interdisciplinary evaluation.
• Have a short-term admission (as necessitated by socio-economic/geographic factors and depending on bed availability) for completion of driver’s training; and
• May be admitted for short durations on an annual basis for respite care to decrease caregiver burden.

Learn more about the VA spinal cord injuries and disorders care system

The VA’s highest clinical priority is Veteran suicide prevention. Everyone has a role to play in keeping  Veterans healthy and safe. The VA St. Louis Health Care System takes a public health approach to suicide prevention, and the local Suicide Prevention Program provides education and outreach to community partners, in addition to direct clinical care in collaboration with a veteran’s established treatment team. Suicide is preventable, and there is hope.  We are here to serve you. Don’t wait. Reach out.  www.va.gov/REACH.

We offer:

• Suicide prevention care coordinators
• Suicide prevention case managers
• Gun safety locks

Learn more and connect with a care coordinator

Whole Health involves health partners and coaches to guide you in discovering your mission, aspiration, and purpose (MAP) in life. Your health coach will work with you to create a Personal Health Plan to support your MAP and help you reach your goals. Whole Health also supports you with well-being services and classes to optimize your overall health and well-being, and may also include Complimentary and Integrative Health services as determined by your VA healthcare team.

• Health Coaching
• Meditation and Mindfulness Training
• Biofeedback
• Acupuncture
• Yoga and Tai Chi
• Functional Nutrition
• Acupuncture
• Massage Therapy