Bass appointed new CEO for Veterans healthcare in West Texas region
ARLINGTON, Texas--The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the appointment of Keith Bass, M.B.A., M.P.H., as the new executive medical center director for West Texas VA Health Care System headquartered in Big Spring.
“Mr. Bass’s leadership as the new executive medical center director for West Texas VA Health Care System ensures delivery of timely access to world-class health care for the Veterans we are honored to serve,” said VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network Director Wendell Jones, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., C.P.E. “His multi-faceted experience and strategic lens will be valuable assets for this healthcare system, the employees, and most importantly, our Veteran clients.”
As the director of a unique VA healthcare system that provides services in 33 counties across 53,000 square miles of rural geography in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico, Bass is responsible for leading the medical facility in Big Spring and four community-based outpatient clinics in Abilene, Fort Stockton, San Angelo, and Odessa, Texas, and one located in Hobbs, New Mexico. With an annual operating budget of approximately $153 million, 1,120 staff, and 150 volunteers, West Texas VA Health Care System provides care to more than 24,000 enrolled Veterans.
Previously the Senior Vice President, Business and Clinical Development Executive at GlobalMed in Vienna, Virginia, Bass has held key leadership positions within federal service as the first non-physician Director of Office of Medical Services at the Central Intelligence Agency, as Director of the White House Medical Unit in Washington, DC, and also served as the Chief of the CIA’s Medical Operations Division.
Bass, a retired U.S. Navy commander, is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Rehabilitation Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas; a Bachelor of Arts in Rehabilitation Science from Arkansas Tech University; a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas; a Master of Business Administration from Texas Women’s University, Dallas; a Master of Health Care Administration from TWU; and a graduate certificate in Legislative Affairs from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
West Texas VA Health Care System is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of services to Veterans with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research. West Texas VA Health Care System health care teams are deeply experienced and guided by the needs of Veterans, their families, and caregivers. Find a VA health facility near you and manage your health online.